Self-pity—when you pout around, hoping that everyone will feel sorry for you because of your sad circumstances—is not a godly trait. It is a destructive habit that leads you away from godliness and maturity and keeps you stuck in a rut. God wants more for you than this. He wants you to focus on Him. Even though you might be having a bad day, He wants you to overcome, be strong, and focus on His love. Today, find out how you can let go of self-pity and embrace who you are in God.
"Deleting a Selfie" by Sheree DeCouto
Yesterday I took a “selfie.” It wasn’t flattering. In fact, it was downright ugly and needed to be deleted. It revealed a side of me I’d rather not admit I have. And no, I’m not talking about a self-taken photograph. The “selfie” I’m referring to is self-pity.
I’m generally a very optimistic person, but something happened yesterday that threw me for a loop and before I knew it, I was sucked into a spiraling vortex that left me virtually useless for the entire day. It started with an announcement of someone else’s good fortune. I should have been happy for them, but all I could think about was . . . well, me. Why couldn’t I get a break like that? Why do I have to work so hard at things that come so easy to others? You get the picture. By nightfall I was ready to throw in the towel.
Today I woke up wishing I could press the delete button on yesterday. How could I have wasted an entire day consumed with self-pity? Then it was as if God said to me, “You neglected to take your thoughts captive, instead they took you captive.”
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:5)
When the lie said, “It’s not fair,” I should have replied, “God decides what is fair.” When the lie said, “Your hard work is not appreciated,” I should have replied, “I live my life before an audience of One. His approval is all I need.” I didn’t stand firm; I didn’t resist the devil, and he didn’t flee. Instead he spent the day trying to convince me that my dreams were never going to come true and I almost believed his lies.
What about you, have you been tempted to believe his lies? When we focus inward and not upward, we are right where the enemy wants us. Self-pity is consuming and keeps us from being who God called us to be.
So, how do we delete a “selfie”? Believe it or not, it’s almost as easy as pressing the delete button when you don’t like a self-photograph. Here are three things I did today that can help when you find yourself held captive by self-pity:
Yesterday the enemy tried his best to take me down. Today I’m throwing it back at him. My dream—the thing he was trying to steal—is the dream that the story of my life will make a difference in someone else’s. I’m committed to being God’s girl getting real. Let’s get real, and in the process, tell the devil where he and his lies can go! Let’s delete our “selfies” and refuse to let them hold us captive any longer.
Lord, I see how self-pity is a bad habit that does not glorify You. Help me let go of it and learn how to focus on You and Your solutions instead.
Are pity parties a regular thing in my house? Do I need to start overcoming this destructive habit?
The next time you are tempted to fall into the trap of self-pity, analyze your situation. Ask yourself: How is the enemy trying to bring me down? How can I grow from this situation? How does God want me to react?
Self-pity is more than just having a bad day. It is allowing a bad day to ruin all you are in God and then dragging everyone else into your bad day with you. This kind of behavior needs to be replaced with prayer and persistence when things don’t go your way. When you go to God in times of frustration, you will learn how He wants you to grow through the experience.
We are not finished looking at habits that you may need to relinquish on your journey to Christian maturity. In our next post, discover how the way you project yourself to others can either draw you nearer to or farther away from God.