Several years ago my friend Kreg told me to "get over myself" and I did. I remember going on-and-on about how someone slighted me. I was getting tired of my own voice-it was that bad-I wanted to say "shut up already".
At first I was ticked off by his "cut-the crap" remark. But I noticed something was happening in me as I was making this effort to "get over myself"-I was becoming genuine.
St Paul says "For by the grace given to me, I say to everyone among you, not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith God has assigned- Paul confronts a "prideful attitude" and he provides a nice way to temper this selfish disposition-by the "measure of faith God has assigned us"-which is sufficient. Pride is an "inflated sense of self" and eventually this illusion leads us away from an authentic life and genuineness.
Genuineness is closing the gap between "who you are and who you think you are". It seems to me, that in order to maintain this grandiose illusion you must always be "on". It's almost like having an insatiable need to always prove yourself-it's exhausting.
I remember a time where I wanted to fit into this certain social group. I would concentrate on making a witty comment or a timely joke while monitoring if the group was accepting me or not. It was emotionally draining because I spent an enormous amount of psychic energy trying to be someone I was not.
Then it hit me-my value and worth was not found in another person's acceptance of me-that's an unfair burden to place on other people. The burden is on me to accept myself.
We all desire to be accepted, which is normal, but before I can be accepted by others-I must accept myself-flaws and all. I began to mull over this thought: If God created me in his image, has given me life and loves me even though I stuck-it-to-Him in my rebellion-who am I to say "I am no good"? That's not my call. My worth comes from the one who created me and loved me while I was still running from Him.
In time I needed to stop proving my existence and just live. I needed to close the gap. I began to find a certain freedom in being genuine. For me "Getting over myself" meant no longer proving my existence to others. I am nowhere near the genuine place I want to be, but as I become "smaller" in my life-my enjoyment of others becomes bigger. Not only do I accept myself but other people feel more comfortable around me.
G.K. Chesterton has a quote that I carry as one of my "life statements": "How much larger your life would be if your "self" were smaller in it-if you could really look at other people with common curiosity and pleasure-you would begin to be interested in them"
So in the wise words of my friend Kreg: Get over yourself"
