Necessary Narcissism

In my seeking, I continue to find and get lost in the necessity of the recognition of our sinfulness, depravity, inability, dependency, etc. There is a profound mystery in the necessity to mourn over our sin and be brought low in order for the Lord to "put a new song on our lips" (Psalm 40:3) that will inevitably praise Him when brought up and out. I personally call it a "mystery" because its the painful, un-fathomable Wisdom of the LORD; how difficult it is (not to say impossible) to rejoice in the midst of that darkness because we are overcome by it, though at the end, there is deeper conformity to the image of Christ. In other words, our afflictions are not only the will of God (1 Thess 5:23-24;Romans 8:29), but also an answer to our prayers for sanctification.

So, in Christians, what I continue to see in the Word and in the journey of my studies, is that WITHOUT a form of "narcissism", that is, the "self-ishness" of it, there may be something terribly wrong. And let us be careful not to be deceived to think our "narcissism" is done in rebellion, for if you truly belong to God that can't be (Romans 8:9; 1 John 3:9). Therefore, the being consumed by our "narcissism" is not rebellion but a response to the Glory of God revealing our sinfulness to us (1 Timothy 1:15; James 1:2-4), thus drowning us in the Truth of ourselves in order to save us from it, deepening our praise and worship towards Him due to the Gospel of God.

What irony. What depth of Wisdom. What faithfulness of our Lord.

May God help us.