Being Real But Not Self-Indulgent

So we’re going through a sermon series on the Psalms at church.

There’s a fine line I think between being real and being self-indulgent. If that’s the right term. I dunno, I respect it when people are real to how they’re feeling, how they are, and don’t just go along with how things are supposed to be. Who have the honesty to face up to their true emotions, something like that.

What I don’t like is when it turns into self-pity and/or fatalism. Dunno if this makes any sense. Yes, this world sucks, and there’s a certain nobility in being able to acknowledge that. Same with the fact that we ourselves suck. And that life in this fallen earth is inherently suffering. But I dunno, there comes a point when you can’t just wallow in that knowledge but suck it up and be a (wo)man about it.

I dunno. I read this Chuck Colson commentary on Bill Bright and it was really interesting. Basically he was saying how not only did Bill Bright live well, but he died well also. He includes a quote from someone who says that God allows Christians and pagans to get cancer so that the world will see a difference in how Christians deal with it. I don’t 100% agree but there’s a kernel of truth in it. Yes the world sucks, yes life sucks, but realizing that alone doesn’t make you noble. The critical thing is how you respond to it.

I dunno, no point as usual. Just, the Psalms are interesting, because a lot of them go on and on about how much life sucks. The thing is, while they don’t necessarily end positively, they end hopefully. And I think there’s a critical lesson in that. I dunno.