You may remember the video that circulated a few years ago, featuring a little girl doing her morning affirmations in the mirror. It was pretty cute. You can watch it here for a refresher.
The funny thing, though, is that when I recently tried searching for that video, I stumbled upon a hidden YouTube world I had no clue existed. I was searching for “morning affirmation video,” and it turns out there are thousands of those. Not for jokes either. Real life. And it occurs to me that many of our Christian bookstore devotional sections are lined with much of the same. Not for jokes. Real life.
The self-confidence and positive thinking movements have come to hold great sway among believers during this time of decreased discernment and theological concern in which we live. Let’s examine these two ideas briefly.
Self-Confidence
It’s what every mom wants for her young daughter in school. It’s what every dad wants for his son on the ball field. Teachers in school encouraged us as kids to “believe in ourselves” and the like. Ask many VBS curricula, and you’ll find that “you can be a hero, too!”
And who wants to rain on this parade? No one wants people to walk around believing depressing untruths about themselves. Certainly that’s not healthy. So what’s the problem with the self-confidence movement? Here are a few things to consider:
1) The Scriptures never encourage us to place our trust in our own ability. Indeed, often they discourage a trust in our own ability to properly perceive what is the right way and to act on it (Jeremiah 17:9, Judges 17:6).
2) The Scriptures suggest that there is a more sure foundation for our trust than in self (2 Cor. 3). In other words, by buying into the self-confidence mantra wholesale, you may be actually selling yourself short, relegating yourself to a secondary level of confidence, one that’s always rising and falling based on your most recent victories and failures.
3) The abilities and health God has given us will fade one day (James 4:14). Picture this: a 90 year old man in a nursing home who still holds the marathon record. No one has ever been able to beat his 26.2 mile time. But what good does athletic confidence do him now? His abilities have faded with age – as ours will – and now his identity must be found in something more lasting than past achievement.
The problem with self-confidence is that it breaks down the minute we prove ourselves wrong.
And we will prove ourselves wrong. Sometime or another.
However, if we continue down the road of constantly trying to buttress and fortify our self confidence, two things will be true: 1) We will spend our days thinking primarily about ourselves and 2) We will venture down the path of Positive Thinking.
The first is dangerous because it comes as a wolf in sheep’s clothing. We tell ourselves “I am not prideful or selfish – I am too down on myself for that.” But in reality, if we spend all of our days thinking about self and trying to fill the cracked pot of self esteem with further self-affirmations, what does that say about what we spend our energy on? Self!
The second is dangerous for the reasons below.
Positive Thinking
It’s quite difficult to critique a philosophy that goes by such a friendly-sounding name. Doesn’t everyone just need a little more positivity in their lives? After all, it’s been researched that thinking happy thoughts releases all kinds of chemicals sure to broker for us a good day, everyday!
At this point, the biblical worldview informs how we should pattern our thought lives. If the goal of our life is simply to be as happy as possible, we don’t really need Christ; we just need a good book on hedonism. But if our lives are for the purpose of being conformed to the likeness of Christ, then each day represents for us a battle between ourselves and our fallen impulses. Indeed, Paul gives us an encouragement about what to do and how to do it in Romans 12.
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect (Romans 12:2).
Notice the progression here: don’t be conformed, but be transformed. How? By the renewing of your mind. What is renewing? The process of constantly being made new. How does this happen? One degree at a time (2 Cor. 3:18). What is the result of this daily battle? Being able to discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
So, this is quite different from simple positive thinking.
After all, if “positive thinking” is the key, it suggests that we don’t even have to be meditating on things that are true, just so long as they are positive.
The Gospel calls us to be people of truth, however, and this reveals that we need a better plan.
A Better Plan: True Thinking
Philippians 4 conveys this message:
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
Notice a few things. First, Paul uses the word “finally,” to indicate that he is about to share the things he desires to be included last for emphasis and memory. These things are not tacked-on morsels of Dr. Phil advice. They are applications of the Gospel.
He gives 2 essential directions. 1) Think and 2) Practice. We would do well to understand that if we don’t meditate on the kinds of truths he relates here, we will do a poor job of practicing what we have learned and received from God’s Word. So right and true thinking patterns are essential for our spiritual, emotional, and corporate health.
Apply This
In the face of depression, hardship, stress, and disappointment, can you think of some true, right, honorable, lovely, commendable, excellent, or praiseworthy things? Can you make a list? Can you rehearse that list?
Here’s a good place to start: remember the Gospel. Think on the Gospel. Rehearse the Gospel to yourself.
Rise each morning, saying “I am a sinner. I am a worse sinner than I even think I am. I deserve nothing from God. But he gave me everything I need for life and Godliness through his Son Jesus and through his written Word (2 Peter 1:3). He accepts me, not on the basis of deeds which I have done in righteousness, but according to his mercy (Titus 3:5). He has regenerated me – brought me from death to life (John 5:24). Because of this, my life has purpose (to glorify God) and I no longer have to be a slave to condemnation (Romans 8).”
It seems simple, but I guarantee that a consistent pattern of preaching to yourself the Gospel – the truth that God has included you in his eternal plan to make all things new – carries so much more power than looking yourself in the mirror and saying “I am special because I am me.”
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