I was born self-centered, with and enter Drive to protect my egos and my “rights.” When I decide that life has not treated me as I have the right to be treated, self-pity is the result. Self-pity causes me to worry which cause stress and obsess over how I have been treated, real or perceived. At the heart of self-pity is a disagreement with God over how life—and He—has treated us.
The biggest clue that self-pity, worry, anxiety is not of God is the word self. Any time I was focused on my self, other than for self-centered leading to repentance “1 Cor 11:28, 2 Cor 13:5”, I am in the territory of the flesh. My sinful flesh is the enemy of the Spirit “Rom 8:7”. When I surrender my life to Christ, my old nature is crucified with Him “Gal 2:20”; Rom 6:6”. The self-ish, sinful part of my life no longer needs to dominate me. When Self is dominant, God is not. We, in effect, have become our own god. C. S. Lewis put it this way: “The moment you have a self at all, there is a possibility of putting yourself first—wanting to be the center—wanting to be God, in fact. That was the sin of Satan: and that was the sin he taught the human race.”
The self-sins do not die easily. They are more difficult to detect than obvious sins, such as immorality and drunkenness “Gal 5:19-20”, because I often consider them friends. Self-confidence, self-seeking, self-admiration, self-indulgence, self-absorption, and self-love are all symptoms of a fleshly nature that has not yet been fully surrendered to Jesus. It was a self-sin that brought Samson down “Judge 16:20” and a self-sin that caused the rich young ruler to turn away from Jesus “Matt 19:21-22”. The self-sins, including self-pity, attest to the truth that, regardless of what we say with our lips, our highest worship is often reserved for ourselves “Matt 29:13; Matt 15:8.
When I indulge in self-pity, I have elevated my importance in my own eyes. “Rom 12:3” says, “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought.” We are thinking too highly of ourselves when we allow life’s hurts and injustices to dictate our emotional state. Bitterness can quickly override the fruit of the Holy Spirit “Gal5:22” that should be dominating the life of every believer. “1 Thess 5:18-19” tells us that we are not to “quench the Holy Spirit.” Instead, we are to give thanks in everything. It is impossible to give thanks while clinging to self-pity, because, by definition, a self-indulgent attitude is not focused on gratitude to others. Self-pity cannot be thankful at all for what God has allowed.
Rejecting the impulse to feel sorry for myself is not easy. Life provides many opportunities to experience rejection, injustice, and the cruelty of man. Our natural response is self-protection, which often results in self-pity. However, we can choose to “walk by the Spirit, and . . . not gratify the desires of the flesh” “Gal 5:16”. We can refuse to indulge our sin natures and choose instead a grateful heart, trusting that “it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” “Phil 2:13”. We can look at every opportunity to indulge in self-pity as chance to defeat that old nature. We can choose instead to trust that God “will work everything for the good, to those who love God and are called according to His purpose” “Rom 8:28”.
The biggest clue that self-pity, worry, anxiety is not of God is the word self. Any time I was focused on my self, other than for self-centered leading to repentance “1 Cor 11:28, 2 Cor 13:5”, I am in the territory of the flesh. My sinful flesh is the enemy of the Spirit “Rom 8:7”. When I surrender my life to Christ, my old nature is crucified with Him “Gal 2:20”; Rom 6:6”. The self-ish, sinful part of my life no longer needs to dominate me. When Self is dominant, God is not. We, in effect, have become our own god. C. S. Lewis put it this way: “The moment you have a self at all, there is a possibility of putting yourself first—wanting to be the center—wanting to be God, in fact. That was the sin of Satan: and that was the sin he taught the human race.”
The self-sins do not die easily. They are more difficult to detect than obvious sins, such as immorality and drunkenness “Gal 5:19-20”, because I often consider them friends. Self-confidence, self-seeking, self-admiration, self-indulgence, self-absorption, and self-love are all symptoms of a fleshly nature that has not yet been fully surrendered to Jesus. It was a self-sin that brought Samson down “Judge 16:20” and a self-sin that caused the rich young ruler to turn away from Jesus “Matt 19:21-22”. The self-sins, including self-pity, attest to the truth that, regardless of what we say with our lips, our highest worship is often reserved for ourselves “Matt 29:13; Matt 15:8.
When I indulge in self-pity, I have elevated my importance in my own eyes. “Rom 12:3” says, “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought.” We are thinking too highly of ourselves when we allow life’s hurts and injustices to dictate our emotional state. Bitterness can quickly override the fruit of the Holy Spirit “Gal5:22” that should be dominating the life of every believer. “1 Thess 5:18-19” tells us that we are not to “quench the Holy Spirit.” Instead, we are to give thanks in everything. It is impossible to give thanks while clinging to self-pity, because, by definition, a self-indulgent attitude is not focused on gratitude to others. Self-pity cannot be thankful at all for what God has allowed.
Rejecting the impulse to feel sorry for myself is not easy. Life provides many opportunities to experience rejection, injustice, and the cruelty of man. Our natural response is self-protection, which often results in self-pity. However, we can choose to “walk by the Spirit, and . . . not gratify the desires of the flesh” “Gal 5:16”. We can refuse to indulge our sin natures and choose instead a grateful heart, trusting that “it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” “Phil 2:13”. We can look at every opportunity to indulge in self-pity as chance to defeat that old nature. We can choose instead to trust that God “will work everything for the good, to those who love God and are called according to His purpose” “Rom 8:28”.
