Day 147: Misconceptions (Part 5)- Don't Take Yourself Too Seriously

Micah 6:8

But he's already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It's quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love, And don't take yourself too seriously - take God seriously.

Hillsong United recently released a song called ‘Wonder” and when Joel Houston was speaking about writing the song, he said,

“Everyone’s so serious all the time, and the paradox of that is, we have the most serious message there is.”

Have you ever met people who take themselves too seriously, or need to lighten up a bit? I go to an art school, and with the political climate the way it is, it gets very interesting in those hallways and classes. We are artist so we are already a bunch of emotional and passionate people. People can become so uptight about what to say and what not to say or do. I almost feel like I cannot say anything without having someone come at me with political correctness. This idea of always being politically correct and taking ourselves too seriously has taken away comedy, it has taken away joy and replaced it with fear. The fear of offending someone for stating what we believe. It has created this wave of sugar coating due to hypersensitivity.  It has taken humility to arrogance and people who take themselves too seriously think so highly of themselves above others.

We are probably all shaking our heads thinking of someone we know who is like this. Take the time to make sure it’s not you.

I remember when I first became a Christian I took myself soooooooo serious, and anyone who knows me knows that I am a goofy person. I’m like a little kid, I love to make people smile and laugh, I love playing pranks on my friends and family. I was never a serious person all around, I always knew when to turn it on and off. When I became a Christian, for a while that all stopped because I had to take myself serious. I could not be joking around and looking like a sinner. I’m a Christian I have to act as such. I have to grow in my faith there are not time for games and laughing, this is serious. It didn’t make me a better Christian, it just made me a jerk.

-Dyamond

This is the idea that many people have about Christians, we are a serious group of people. We can take ourselves too seriously as we push our faith and want to be known as me and women of God. But the scripture above states, “Don’t take yourself too seriously, take God seriously.”, and that’s what we often miss. We are so busy taking ourselves seriously and trying to prove our Christianity that we forget, it is not about us. It is about God, He is to be taken seriously, His word is to be taken seriously, who are we?

Even Jesus had a sense of humor and didn’t take himself too serious.

In the article, ‘Reclaiming Jesus’ Sense of Humor’, James Martin states:

“For someone in first-century Palestine, the premise (or “setup” as a comic would say) was probably more amusing than the punch line. "The parables were amusing in their exaggeration or hyperbole," Amy-Jill Levine, a New Testament scholar at Vanderbilt University, said in an interview. “The idea that a mustard seed would have sprouted into a big bush that birds would build their nests in would be humorous. People in Jesus’ day would probably have laughed at many of his intentionally funny illustrations: for example, the idea that someone would have lit a lamp and put it under a basket, or that a person would have built a house on sand or that a father would give a child stones instead of bread.”

One of my favorite things about the contemporary church, and it’s pastor’s from Judah Smith, to Carl Lentz, Rich Wilkerson Jr., Robert Madu, Chad Veach, John Gray, Matthew edgar, Ben Houston, Chelsea Smith, Lucille Houston,and so many more is their sense of humor. These are men and women of God who take the word of God so seriously but do not think of themselves as serious as the message of Christ. They tell stories that are often funny that engage us, make us laugh, and get the message across simultaneously. These men and women will make us laugh and also preach a message that will change our lives at the same time. They know that while God has given us the most serious message ever, He also gave us a sense of humor and He has one as well. Everything isn’t all serious all the time. There does not have to be a disconnect. Humor is a part of who we are as humans.

When we take ourselves too seriously we create a disconnect from humanity. We create a divide that separates us from them. We have to lighten up and regain our sense of humor. Sit down our pride and ideas of who we think we are.

Don’t take yourself too seriously it’s not a good look. Plus there’s way too much tension built up in people who take themselves seriously,  Tension and stress cause wrinkles, weight gain, and early aging and I know you don’t want that. At least not yet, let them come when it’s time not a second before. Relax, get you chakras in line and be goofy.

Reflection/Response

1. Are you a person who takes yourself too seriously?
2. How can you change that?
3. Do you take God more serious than you take yourself?

Prayer Time

Allow you answers to the above questions guide your prayer, talk to God about whatever you discovered about yourself today, and remember that God has a sense of humor too.