But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped. For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. – Psalm 73:2-3 During one point in his life, the psalmist became critical as he saw those who ignored God enjoying life while those who worshiped God suffered great difficulties. He couldn’t understand why the wicked, because of their sinful ways, weren’t plagued with sufferings. If you read this Psalm in its entirety you’ll realize that the self-pity of Asaph is just as incredibly or incredulous as the wallowing self-pity we swim in when we find ourselves burdened for doing “good.” Just take a look at these verses– he almost stumbles because he is flabbergasted when he doesn’t find God smiting the people who are “wicked.” Asaph goes as far as saying something in the likeness of, “wow, I get my butt kicked for being responsible, and this guy… nothing.” I know you can relate because you probably got chewed out by your boss, your mom or your friend for doing what is right. But, that type of self-pity is really just pitiful selfishness centering in on our minds and weighing our hearts. When we allow our minds center on earthly things, that is rift-raft or temporal things, they become huge stumbling blocks to our faith. Additionally, our view of it, like a bad selfie, doesn’t portray the real picture, just a self perceived one. That is why it’s important for all people to concentrate on something greater than what’s here on earth. The psalmist wasn’t describing facts, but rather what seemed to him to be the facts in his circumstances. Just read the rest of the Psalm. His point of view is skewed. And in all honesty, sometimes we Christians have such a messed up point of view. We want to believe, through our self-pitiful lens that we suffer to a degree that seems to be the same or more than the suffering of the “wicked.” I’ll tell you though that it isn’t necessary for us to understand why God is allowing the things that are happening in our lives to cause us to almost stumble and slip. Rather, we have to recognize that we can’t be self-pitiful. We’re not living merely for this life, and that’s the key to this whole bit. Trust God, even when all evident circumstances seem to point against you that’s faith, that’s hope in eternity. How can you stop being self-pitiful in your faith?
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