Selfism & suffering
Have you been infected by "selfism"?
Dr. Paul Vitz feels that much of what today's mental health professionals tell their clients is pure narcissim, egoism, and the worship of self.
People are counseled to become "self-actualized," to bow at the altar of humanism.
But when hard stuff in life happens, suddenly that altar begins to crumble.
When tough times come--when people get bad news from the doctor, or when a loved on dies--all the optimistic, self-focused hot air that's been pumped into them suddenly escapes.
You can almost hear them shriek,"But suffering isn't supposed to be part of my self-actualization!" Jesus wasn't motivated by "selfism".
He accepted suffering as part of God's perfect plan.
He did suffer and die, but He rose again!
There was joy in the morning (on the third day).
There was purpose in the pain. Selfism doesn't understand this reality.
It teaches people to do everything possible--emotionally, mentally, physically--to push suffering aside and seek goals of personal fufillment.
God's goals for you and me will include suffering. Peter, who saw Jesus suffer and who faced great hardships himself, wrote these words :" There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while.
These trials will show that your faith is genuine.
It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold--though your faith is far more precious than mere gold.
So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world"(1 Peter 1:6-7) A healthy, strong, humble faith is a cure for the infection of selfism!

-Tom Felten, ODJ