I understand why some feel that. So lemme splain. Years ago, I was filled with self-contempt, did not handle failure well, did not extend grace to myself, but was blind to all this. But in 1984 Janet and I went through World Harvest’s Sonship Course, and God used it to begin to change our lives. For many years thereafter, He continued to use it to change me, as I soaked in the good news of Jesus every day, sometimes many times a day, and for years I’ve been asking Pray-ers to pray for fresh conviction of sin in my life, so I’d be less concerned about Dave’s performance, and more concerned about Jesus’ performance, imputed to me. So I’d be less in love with myself, and more in love with Him. The result, is that I am today much more aware of my sin/idolatry/failure, but also much more self-accepting than ever before in my life, because I feel so loved and accepted by the only One who counts. So I’m free-er than ever before, to look inside and see the awful truth about myself, so I can confess what the Spirit shows me, to be wrong. Without this foundation of grace, I lived for years, in major denial of my feelings, my failures. And the people who had to live with me, suffered the most from my cluelessness/insensitivity.
The nicest, sweetest, kindest thing He ever does for me, is to freshly convict me of my sin, so I’m feeling freshly forgiven, feeling freshly loved by Him, just as I am, warts and all. So while it may seem like the guy who writes this stuff is an unhappy, morbidly-introspective, self-absorbed person, I’m just journaling what the Spirit is teaching me, about myself, God, others, and my circumstances, and this truth sets me free-er and free-er, and I’m way happier than ever, in my entire life! So if you’ve been praying for me, thank you so much, and if you haven’t been, please begin.
–ShepherdDave, who is way more DumbSheepDave than ever before in his life, because folks pray (please pray now)
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