People can be such a blessing in our lives. And if you’ve been belittled or verbally abused, you’ve probably swallowed one of these bitter pills:
“You can’t do anything without me.”
Or its equally demeaning but less narcissistic first cousin: “You’ll never be able to do anything on your own.”
A lot of us – particularly, although not exclusively, women – have baggage full of that kind of trash. Worse yet, we’ve bought into it. I once traveled alone to the other side of the world, speaking exclusively in a foreign language in one country, just to prove someone wrong on that count.
I came home more confident and maybe even a little more defiant. Never again would I subscribe to the lie that I couldn’t do anything on my own when I had successfully navigated Europe solo.
But then I came to realize that I was actually wrong. I couldn’t do anything on my own. At least nothing of worth. The same is true of you.
Don’t get me wrong: You can leave a legacy of greatness in the world’s eyes. You can have a lasting impact on the world. You can become the subject of notoriety, of biographies and documentaries. But in the end, it may mean nothing if done on your own.
That’s because our only true worth is found in Jesus Christ, and the only things that we do of eternal significance are those things that we do in and for Him. In John 15:5, Jesus makes a powerful statement to His followers: “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me.”
I learned some important lessons on my big adventure. I showed fortitude and courage when facing strange situations in strange cultures. I was even productive, having used the time to write about 150 pages of a novel. But I went into and came away from that experience for the sake of my own glory. So my experience was an expensive venture into navel-gazing. And there’s nothing attractive about a navel.
In 1 Corinthians 3:12-15, Paul augments Jesus’ message in John 15 by telling us what will happen to all those great things we do for own own glory – the fame, the financial success, the scientific advances, the knowledge we acquire. “If any man builds on this foundation” – that is, Jesus Christ – “using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day [of the Lord] will bring it to light; it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames,” Paul writes.
How much of my time do I squander doing things of no lasting merit? How will my meager contribution to this world fare on that fearful day of God’s judgment? Will I be among those who, because I have done so much for my own glory and so little for His, barely escape the flames?
Jesus must be my all in all; He alone must be my one thing. And even when I do the menial things, I must do it for His glory, doing my best as unto Him. The same is even more true when I do the great things. My flesh will lead me astray, to the hay, the wood and the straw. My only hope is to be led of the Holy Spirit: “Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, we must also follow the Spirit” (Galatians 5:24-25).
When you find yourself listening to trash talk that tells you you’re hopeless and helpless without certain people in your life, take out the garbage. Your success in life is not measured by the bullies who control and demean you. It is measured by the degree of your surrender to Christ. Tell those voices of defeat and discouragement that you serve the living God of the impossible who enables you to do all things: “For nothing will be impossible with God” (Luke 1:38); “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).
It’s time to make your life count. To paraphrase a famous commercial, you can do it; He can help.
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