Posts Tagged: the limits of introspection

“Regaining the Outward Focus and the Upward Focus”

On April 28, 2019 by Dteb With 0 Comments - down to earth believer


“Today, by God’s grace, I am not focused on my weaknesses, but on the strengths God gives me for His glory and the well-being of everyone.  I will be upwardly-focused and outwardly-focused today.”

I tend to beat myself up for my weaknesses.  This, of course, makes my weaknesses much stronger.

So, because my weaknesses are becoming stronger, I focus on them even more intensely.  Round and round the mulberry bush I go.

If a strategy or habit isn’t working, it might be best to try something else.  If a strategy or habit is making the problem worse, it would definitely be best to try something else.

My mom used to get after me sometimes when I was growing up for being too concerned about myself.  She even thought my attempts at improving myself were sometimes too selfish.  I have long since realized that she was right.

But how to get out of this hellish echo chamber?  Is there a twelve-step group called “Self-involved So-and-Sos Anonymous”?  Perhaps there should be.  Or, perhaps, such a group would only be perpetuating the problem?

Two things might help my preoccupation with my weaknesses, faults, and failures.  One is outward focus.  Be grateful for things that are not me.  Be interested in other people.  Do some kind things for people every day.  It doesn’t have to be anything big.  Little kindnesses are often all that is needed to brighten someone’s day.

And then, there is the upward focus.  I find that, when I look around in an appreciative and kindly manner, I am more about to look upward toward God.  The converse is also true.  Sometimes, I have to look up, even when I’m not sure that God is even there.  Faith is not the absence of doubts.  Faith is trusting God even when you have profound doubts.

Don’t get me wrong.  It is sometimes necessary to look inward, and is not always an easy thing to do.  However, if that is all that I do, if I never look around or up, I am going to get terribly cross-eyed.

I need to remember what Mrs. Whatsit said to Meg in A Wrinkle in Time: “Meg, I give you your faults.”  Accepting my weaknesses, my faults, is absolutely vital to looking upward and outward.

, , , , ,
Follow on Feedly