Just Right
By Susan Klein
“Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.”
Romans 12:3
In Paul’s letter to the Roman believers, he addresses the issue of having a right relationship with other members of the body by encouraging an honest self-evaluation. Some were guilty of overrating their importance in the church by the positions they held or the gifts and talents they possessed. Paul admonishes them to not think too highly of themselves, being mindful that God has gifted each one individually, and not all with the same gifts, so that they may build up the body with what they have been given.
Apparently, this was a recurring problem. We read in his letter to the Corinthians that he observes some being “puffed up” by their knowledge (1 Corinthians 8:1), and to the Galatians, he warns, “If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself” (Galatians 6:3). Paul knew the destructive force that pride could be on the church if not caught and dealt with.
Conversely, if some were to think too lowly of themselves, that could also be detrimental to the body. When God told Moses to lead His people out of Egypt, Moses wanted to decline, not believing he was gifted with the eloquence of speech that he would need to convince the people to follow him. But God does not call people to do things that He does not equip them to do. He told Moses that He would help him speak and teach him what to say, but still Moses replied, “Send someone else to do it.” Moses’ focus was on (his wrong evaluation of) himself, not on what God promised to do in and through him. Self-deprecation is no less harmful than thinking too highly of oneself.
The verse above says to think of yourself soberly, according to what God has given you. If He has given you the ability to lead or to teach, you should lead or teach. If He has equipped you with mercy or encouragement, you should share with others according to your giftedness, not comparing yourself with others. Truly knowing what your gifts are, and accepting that God has designed you exactly the way you are for a purpose (His purpose), will help you to view yourself in a “just right” light.
GOING DEEPER:
1. In your own self-evaluation, would you say you tend to swing the pendulum toward the side of pride, the side of thinking too lowly, or “just right”? How does this impact your relationships with others in the body of Christ?
FURTHER READING:
Susan is We Women's Tuesday Morning Bible Study Coordinator and one of its teachers. She and her husband Mark lead a couples' small group in their home; she is also involved in inner city outreach.
