Self esteem and the past

Do you find your self esteem from the past?

Individuals do that.

Corporations do that.

Nations do that.

Churches do that as well.

Churches can look back and become obsessed with the past to the point of it creating a sense of stagnation and a refusal to change and grow.

"I remember when Pastor so and so was here," they say.

"I remember when we used to do it this way back in the past."

They remember the "good ole days" and take great pride and relish in reminding people of the great moments from the past.

They begin to hold up the past as an idol.  Nothing that is done in the present can "live up to what was done in the past."

They derive their self esteem from the past.

That, in and of itself, is a recipe for disaster.

Life is not meant to be lived in the past - life is meant to be lived in the present.

Growing people, growing companies, growing churches understand that.

My self esteem does not come from what I have accomplished in the past; my self esteem comes (or should come) from what I am doing in the present and in the context of my relationship with God.

I was asked, "what is the greatest sermon I have ever preached," (the other day) and my response was, "the next one."

We need to keep on striving, keep on moving forward, for God's glory and our ultimate benefit.

Churches can look back and become obsessed with the past to the point of it creating a sense of stagnation. 

When Michael Jordan turned 50, ESPN magazine ran an extended essay/interview about Jordan's continuing obsession (or idolatry) with the best days of his basketball career.

The article stated:

"Jordan's self-esteem has always been, as he says, "tied directly to the game."

Without it, he feels adrift.  Who am I?  What am I doing?  For the past 10 years, since retiring for the third time, he has been running, moving as fast as he could, creating distractions, distance.  When the schedule clears, he'll call his office and tell them not to bother him for a month, to let him relax and play golf.  Three days later they'll get another call, asking if the plan can pick him up and take him someplace.

He's restless...he feels his competitiveness kick in, almost a chemical thing, and he starts working out, and he wonders:  Could he play at 50?  What would he do against LeBron?

What if?  "It's consumed me so much," he says.  "I'm my own worst enemy.  I drove myself so much that I'm still living with some of those drives.  "I'm living with that.  I don't know how to get rid of it.  I don't know if I could.  And here I am, still connected to the game."

He knows he won't ever play pro  basketball again.  He knows he's got to quiet these drives, to find a way to live the life he worked so hard to create, to be still.

Jordan asks, "How can I enjoy the next 20 years without so much of this consuming me?  How can I find peace away from the game of basketball?"

In a very, very, very small way - I can relate to that. 

After a great senior year in high school and a wonderful senior year in college, I used to have dreams (well into my thirties) of having a year of eligibility left in college - in order to play basketball again.

I took great joy (and pride) in the fact that we won the European championship (International School of Brussels) in 1974.  Basketball was a haven, where a huge amount of my self esteem was created.

Eventually, I learned that my effectiveness as a person (and as a follower of Christ), my present self-esteem, must not and cannot come from what I did in the past - but from what God is doing in me - in the present.

Where do you find your self-esteem?

From your job?  Your family?  Your children? 

Past glories?

I would suggest that you find our self-esteem in God - and realize that your best days are ahead.

Just a thought for a Thursday.