God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. - Psalm 46:1
So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. - Hebrews 13:6
Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. - Isaiah 41:10
These are just a few of the many verses in the Bible that speak of God our help. I think the Bible makes it pretty clear that God is both willing and able to help us no matter what the need. Physical. Spiritual. Emotional. Mental. Relational. Financial. Circumstantial. It doesn't matter. God is able to take care of it. He is there, standing ready to offer us aid no matter what we face. Willing and able to provide what we need, although not necessarily what we want. Yes, we can stand and shout it from the housetops, God is our help!
There is a problem though. Not on God's part, mind you, but on ours. Yes, it is true that God is both willing and able to help us, but the fact of the matter is that many times we're not willing to accept His help. Why? Well, there are many reasons, but I like to group them together in one main problem which I like to call The Wonder Woman Complex (or Superman Complex if you're a guy). The Wonder Woman/Superman Complex says I can do it. I don't need help. I'm in control. If anyone tries to help me juggle all these balls, I'll just end up dropping them, so I'm better off doing it myself. Sound familiar?
I'd like to spend the next few posts describing some of the attributes of The Wonder Woman/Superman Complex. Think of it as a test of sorts to see if you fall into this trap. But be warned, you may want to wear your steel-toed boots for the next few posts, for your toes are likely to be tread upon. Nevertheless, the Bible instructs us to speak the truth in love, and after discovering that I suffered from The Wonder Woman/Superman Complex, I felt compelled to help others discover the truth about this flaw and mindset. The first step to a solution is to admit there's a problem, right? Well, let's find out. Shall we? In fact, let's dive right into the first question of The Wonder Woman/Superman Complex quiz.
Question #1: Do you ever perform a task unaided because you feel you do not need assistance?
"I'm quite capable of performing this task."
"I don't need any help."
"What will others think if I ask them to help? I'm too old? Too feeble? Too weak?"
I'm not talking about a certain degree of independence or self-sufficiency here. I'm talking about crossing the line to pride. I can do. I don't need help. I... I...I. Do you notice a trend? Whether we're trying to prove something to ourselves or to others, we shrug off everything but our pride and set off to accomplish the task at hand. The Bible assures us that we can do all things through Christ who strengthen us, but when we're acting in pride, we're not acting in Christ's strength. We're acting in our own. He's offering aid, and we're basically saying, "No thanks, Lord. I can handle this one." Hmm, that is definitely starting to sound familiar, isn't it?
The first step in overcoming The Wonder Woman/Superman Complex is to chunk the pride. It's not doing us any good. It's only causing us to spin our wheels while accomplishing nothing. Not only that, but it's flat out sin. It's wrong! It's something that God hates! (Proverbs 6:16) We are nothing in and of ourselves. We need God! We need His help whether we realize it or not. The sooner we admit that, the better off we'll be.
I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. - Psalm 121:2-2
"I'm quite capable of performing this task."
"I don't need any help."
"What will others think if I ask them to help? I'm too old? Too feeble? Too weak?"
I'm not talking about a certain degree of independence or self-sufficiency here. I'm talking about crossing the line to pride. I can do. I don't need help. I... I...I. Do you notice a trend? Whether we're trying to prove something to ourselves or to others, we shrug off everything but our pride and set off to accomplish the task at hand. The Bible assures us that we can do all things through Christ who strengthen us, but when we're acting in pride, we're not acting in Christ's strength. We're acting in our own. He's offering aid, and we're basically saying, "No thanks, Lord. I can handle this one." Hmm, that is definitely starting to sound familiar, isn't it?
The first step in overcoming The Wonder Woman/Superman Complex is to chunk the pride. It's not doing us any good. It's only causing us to spin our wheels while accomplishing nothing. Not only that, but it's flat out sin. It's wrong! It's something that God hates! (Proverbs 6:16) We are nothing in and of ourselves. We need God! We need His help whether we realize it or not. The sooner we admit that, the better off we'll be.
I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. - Psalm 121:2-2
Join me tomorrow as we explore a few more parts of The Wonder Woman/Superman Complex.
And remember, wear your good shoes!
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