Who, Me? Healthy self examination

World's Greatest Wife in Cozumel
Being with a dear friend recently is prompting these next few posts. He is a very bright young man who desires to be a strong Christian. Studies Scripture consistently. Does a wonderful job of teaching But doesn't want to hear anything negative about himself - from his wife or anyone else. He doesn't want to face his inner baggage ( that we all have). Consequently his selfishness and rudeness based in some deep childhood challenges is hurting his family deeply.

He's not one to pray Psalm 139: 23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Search me O God – not excessive naval gazing introspection but allowing God to search us. Being open and available for His inspection. The results coming from the HOly SPirit directly or from someone that God chooses to use as His messengere.

Isaiah chapter 6 has always been a great challenge for me. The first four verses depict the grand awesomeness of God. 6:1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple.2 Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying.3 And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory."4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.

“I saw the Lord,” said Isaiah. He pictures the awesome majesty of God. Then, verse 5.
"Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live
among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty."

In some fashion Isaiah saw God. He observed the holiness of God. His gaze at God's holiness, revealed Isaiah's "unholiness" in contrast. "I am unclean," was his response.

Job had the same experience.
Job 42:5-6 " My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes." Basically, both Job and Isaiah are saying "when you indeed see God, you are made aware of the lack of God in your life - your ungodliness." His purity reveals our impurity.
"Oophda," as the Norwegians would say, "I don't know if I want to view God if the result is seeing my inadequacy, my inner garbage." So often that is the life theme we live out. We don't want to look inward.
I’m reminded of John Calvin's challenge: you don't know God if you don't know self and you can’t know yourself without knowing God. And part of knowing self is to see the garbage within that needs purging – the stuff that tears down healthy self perception. That obstructs living the abundant life Jesus promises in John 10:10.

All of us tend not to look inward. We excuse it by saying “I don’t believe in naval gazing.” However, Jeremiah 17:9 tells us: The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? My friend Jack, is not open to see the deceitfulness of his heart, hurting himself, his family and his profession.
More tomorrow.