All the credit...

I stumbled across this blog today, and here is a pretty telling excerpt about New Years' Resolutions.

In his book, A Godward Life, Part 2 (p. 62), John Piper cites a newspaper article based on a book entitled The Body Project. The author examined young girls’ diaries from the 1800’s to the 1900’s and found that “In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, girls’ diaries focused on ‘good works’ and perfecting the character. In the 1900’s, the diaries are fixated on ‘good looks,’ on perfecting the body.”

Now of course, it’s not wrong to resolve to lose a few pounds or to take better care of our bodies, which are, indeed, temples of the Holy Spirit. But if “good looks” or any other goal is driven by selfishness, or a desperate grasp for glory and attention, we are merely resolving to sin against God.

I was a bit convicted by that last line. I have fallen into some of that, and disguised it by telling myself it's part of being feminine. It is what the post labeled it, grasping for attention toward ourselves. It's sinful because it's not directed toward God. ANYTHING that becomes about me or is directed toward myself and instead of toward God and giving Him credit, becomes sinful.

The scary part is that I do that all the time.

Pleiades Star Cluster