Article October 22, 1984 Issue

Expressing or impressing?

BETTY L. BOUTILIER

There is a comic's account of a man who was so self-conscious that although he enjoyed football, he was miserable attending games. It seems every time the players went into a huddle, he thought they were talking about him. Now that's ridiculous. But so is all self-consciousness to some degree.

How do I look? How do I act? How do I sound? How am I coming across? Seeking human approval—even our own—gives us problems. Such self-consciousness seems to pull a dull gray shade down over our natural expression of God's goodness. It would steal our joy, our peace, our spontaneity. It would have us involved in what we think of ourselves (or what others think of us) instead of what we know of God and His manifestation, man.

God and man are inseparable. The real man is God's image and likeness—constantly expressed, forever the object of His love. Consequently, we can be assured that our natural fearless expression of joy can't be inhibited or diminished by a false sense of ourselves. Because we are never cut off from God, we don't need to impress others in order to have approval and feel secure.

Enjoy 1 free Sentinel article or audio program each month, including content from 1898 to today.

Send a comment to the editors
NEXT IN THIS ISSUE
Article
To you, the writer
October 22, 1984
Contents

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit