"This is what the Lord says:
'Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
who draws strength from mere flesh
and whose heart turns away from the Lord.
That person will be like a bush in the wastelands;
they will not see prosperity when it comes.
They will dwell in the parched places of the desert,
in a salt land where no one lives.
But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
whose confidence is in him.
They will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.
The heart is deceitful above all things
and beyond cure.
Who can understand it?'"
Jeremiah 17:5-9
At church yesterday, my pastor was discussing Romans 8:1-4, and noted that there are few things that we want more than to be accepted by other people. We want them to see us a certain way, and so we do certain things (sometimes in ways that don't make a lot of sense) and live our lives differently based on this desire to be accepted. Yet, we can find assurance and rest in the truth that "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (Rom 8:1) Our righteousness doesn't come from following the law - whether that be God's law or one we have created for ourselves. It's always encouraging to hear this, but for me personally (no knock on my pastor - he's great) just knowing that God loves me anyway doesn't always help to alleviate the sometimes debilitating social anxiety I struggle with.
Reading in Jeremiah 17 this morning, I noticed a parallel to what I heard in church yesterday, about assurance, rest, encouragement and identity in Christ versus in the world. The verses above provide a very stark contrast to what comes from a life that is concerned with what other people think and a life that is concerned with what God thinks. The Lord says that those who trusts in man are cursed. They will not be prosperous. They will dry up like a bush without water when hardship comes.
Living on a college campus, there is a certain type of girl that I often compare myself to (and become extremely intimidated by.) She's the social butterfly with what seems like endless friends, a perfect smile, porcelain skin, hair that always seems to behave itself, the body type that so many slave endless hours in the gym trying to achieve, and her fashion is always "on point," even when she is wearing sweats. When she walks into a bar, every head turns - guys' and girls'. To try to change myself - to try to be like her wouldn't just be ignoring the fact that God loves me the way I am and has redeemed me, but it would be sinful. I would be basing my value and my life on what the world considers beautiful and worthy. I would be concerning myself with impressing others, trying to make friends based off of meaningless things like fashion or fortune. *Now, its important to note that being fashionable, beautiful, fit and popular is not sinful at all, but basing my self worth on that and striving to achieve those things at the expense of what matters most (God) definitely is sinful.* Oh - and you know how God says that if a man lusts after a woman, he has already committed adultery in his heart? As a girl, even if I don't replace my wardrobe and get plastic surgery in avid pursuit of fame/popularity, desiring those things is a sin. Desiring something more than I desire God is idolatry and like any sin, whether a physical behavior or a thought, it speaks to the condition of my heart. That, my friends, is what differentiates the simple action of buying a new top from being a sin and not being one.
Back to social anxiety: fearing what others think of me and concerning myself with such things to the point where it interferes with my ability to worship God is a sin. Yes, God loves me anyway and I don't have to fear His condemnation, but that is true even if I lie, cheat, gossip or go kill someone. God's love and forgiveness in no way condones those things! Knowing that God holds us in high regard can be enough to alleviate the feelings of unworthiness in the eyes of the world, and that can be all it takes to stop concerning ourselves with worldliness. But sometimes we need a reminder about just how worthless those things are.
This morning in Jeremiah, I was reminded exactly of this. Basing my life and my value, dedicating my heart and my resources to the things of this world is futile and doesn't last. If my "popularity" were to disappear, everything I had built for myself would crumble. I would dry up like a bush in the parched places of the desert.
But those who trust in God, pursue God, garner their sense of value, worth and meaning from God, those whose confidence is in Him are like trees planted by water. Our life source is eternal and everlasting, and it cannot be taken from us.
