The Self-Help Treadmill

Ever wonder why self-help books regularly top the bestseller lists?

Perhaps it’s because we live in a world that sells us a self-centered life—and then convinces us we’ll get what we want through a self-made life. Of course, that never works. Because God didn’t create a reality with us at the center of it.

But that doesn’t stop us from trying. So when our efforts don’t produce the desired result, we seek an antidote through, you guessed it, self-help books. It’s a vicious cycle where, at every stage, we remain infatuated with self.

I recently spoke with a believer who felt stuck on the world’s treadmill of expectations. If he got off, he feared he would self-sabotage his accelerating career. So he keeps running harder and faster. My heart goes out to him. But notice the word he used to describe his fear. Self-sabotage. It’s another variation of the “self” issue again.

To assume our dreams will only succeed if we make it happen is not only a lie, it’s an exhausting way to live. In the great stories of the Bible, victory always depended more on God than the brains or brawn of the person. So it is with us. 

The cure to a self-made life is never self-help. It’s to exchange our self-centered life for a God-centered life.

This reading was crafted to encourage your pursuit of story and creativity with God. Your donation makes this crowd-funded initiative possible. You can support it via PAYPAL (or by check to Allen Arnold at PO Box 62841, Colorado Springs, CO 80962).

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