Get Over Yourself
Dec 16, 2019 4016
I have a friend who’s being saying to me for years,
“Eli, you’ve got to get over yourself!”
I think that I’ve finally started to understand what he means.
It’s important to have a healthy sense of self-identity. But “self” can be a ravenous beast. It always wants more. An unhealthy focus on self can lead to a downward spiral into either narcissism or co-dependence. These can be associated with real unhappiness, unhealthy relationships, and even mental illness. That’s not a path any of us want to walk down.
We take ourselves too seriously and we don’t take God seriously enough.
The truth is that sometimes we take ourselves too seriously and we don’t take God seriously enough. The Bible says,
…don’t take yourself too seriously—
take God seriously (Micah 6:8, MSG).
This really is the secret of power in your life!
There was this time when Jesus had gone up a mountain with some of the disciples. While Jesus was gone, a father came to the disciples at the foot of the mountain and asked them to heal his boy, who was suffering under the possession of an evil spirit. They tried but they couldn’t.
When Jesus returned, the disciples asked Jesus why they hadn’t been able to throw the evil spirit out. And Jesus answered,
“Because you’re not yet taking God seriously,” said Jesus. “The simple truth is that if you had a mere kernel of faith, a poppy seed, say, you would tell this mountain, ‘Move!’ and it would move. There is nothing you wouldn’t be able to tackle.” (Matthew 17:20-21, MSG).
It’s been very difficult for me to understand why my friend has been telling me to get over myself for years. That’s because the most difficult person to understand in the world is always yourself.
To get over yourself means to stop living out of your own reality and your own feelings.
I have been living out of my own feelings and perspectives of how I’ve seen myself and my needs, both consciously and unconsciously. I’ve been full of myself and not full of God. I haven’t been taking God seriously in my life. Every day I am realising more and more that:
- When you say, “I feel all alone.” God says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Heb 13:5).
- When you say, “Nobody really loves me.” God says, “I really love you” (Jer 31:3);
- When you say, “I can’t forgive myself.” God says, “I forgive you.”
- When you say, “I can’t go on.” God says, “My grace is sufficient for you.” (2 Cor 12:9).
It’s really the story of Moses at the burning bush in Exodus 3 – 4. There he was, feeling sorry for himself, living out the pain of his past, and just comfortable with his present, when God appeared to Moses and told him that he had something better for him. Moses made all sorts of excuses about why God had chosen the wrong man. Moses needed to get over himself, and he did, and that’s why he is remembered in history today.
To get over yourself means to stop living out of your own reality and your own feelings.
Getting over yourself and getting into God means living out of the truth that he speaks over your life. When you do that, you will have discovered the secret to a life of fulfilment and spiritual power.
Graham Hood
May 19, 2020
Awesome post Eli. When we abandon our sense of self to God then everything is covered. I am blessed to have you as a brother. Graham Hood.
mohamed
Jan 14, 2020
thangyou for you seat enforeti may self
Mathew Ryan
Oct 1, 2020
A health questionnaire asked, "have you lost pleasure in doing things you once enjoyed?" Hallelujah, I no longer feel the need to feed my pet-self. Jesus is my Lord and Savior. My emotions are not in control of my life. Praise God for healing.