Whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God (1 John 3:20-21)
I am the kind of guy who has always over-analyzed what I do. In doing so, I tend to analyze all of the good motives out of my actions.
Sure, I did that, cut I only did it because… Sure, they think I am good, but I know the truth. And on it goes. Self-judgment has always been my bane. I do more damage to myself than anyone else could ever do.
I am not sure why that is. A self-destructive tendency maybe? Whatever it is, it keeps me from enjoying successes in my life. It makes me full of self-doubt.
I have always had a competent face. I look like I know what I am doing. When I was younger, I found that if I dressed in a suit and tie and carried a clipboard, I could go anywhere. I just had an authoritative look. Of course, sometimes it backfires. People accuse me of arrogance when if they knew me they would definitely not call me that. I guess I just look too confident.
What was funny, too, was that as a younger man (in fact until only a few years ago), I bit my fingernails down to the quick. Occasionally someone would notice and comment on the disconnect between that and my confident look.
My fingernails reflected my heart: full of self-doubt and at times, self-loathing.
But on the other hand – and as I would tell a pastor friend, there is always an other hand – my self-doubt and over-analysis doesn’t matter to God.
He says that he knows everything and that he knows my heart. When I get to the point where I am beating myself up, which I can do well and often, he knows me. And he is greater than my heart. He knows me, he sees me, he loves me and he doesn’t care how I feel about my heart. Because when I feel that way, that critical, over analyzing way, I am wrong and he is right.
And if I realize that, then I can know that my heart cannot condemn me because it is not God. When I know that, then I know there is now therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). God does not condemn our hearts if we have given our hearts to him. When he has them, they are clean and pure and holy. And good.
He treasures them, he keeps them, he saves them. But he doesn’t condemn them.
Thank the Lord he is in charge and not me.
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