The fear of what people think of me has resurfaced as a daily battle. The renewed presence of this fear has discouraged me because I had attained such victory over this fear a year or more ago by God's grace, and I did not expect it to become such a major issue again. I am tempted to think I will never conquer it again and that I cannot achieve lasting change in this area. Can God's power really be perfected in this weakness?
On Monday's radio program Living on the Edge, Chip Ingram talked about a barrier to real and lasting change in our lives. He characterized a typical problem that we all struggle with in our attempts to make changes for the better: "superficial analysis + superficial focus = superficial temporary change". We fail to get results that last, he explained, often because (1) we face problems without giving a completely honest analysis of the issues -- because it feels too painful, AND because (2) we are focused only on changing our outward behavior -- when it's our heart attitudes, values, and beliefs that really need changing.
I have found this to be true in my own life over and over again. With my current struggle of people-pleasing, it can be tempting to either (1) deceive myself that it is not really a problem or to (2) focus on changing my behavior without addressing the core issues. Core issues like insecurity, pride, and selfishness.
The process of real change can be painful, but as I consider the battles before me I am reminded that it has always been worth it to go through the process before. Far more beautiful than any Band-Aid that I can put over the problem will be the diamond that God can produce in me.
