You Really Need to Read This Book

#clickbait

Welcome back, after a ridiculously long hiatus from blogging for no apparent reason. I’m ready to get back to some regular posts, so look forward to those coming soon!

Today I want to talk about The End of Me by Kyle Idleman and why you need to read it.

The first thing I want to mention is that this is not an easy book to read. I mean, it is theoretically an easy read, the words flow really well and it has a conversational tone that makes it enjoyable to read. The content is another matter. I could say that the book is about laying down your own desires in favor of God’s plan, but that wouldn’t even begin to describe how intensely convicting it is. The point the author makes in the very first chapter is that in order to end the control that “Me” has over your life, you need to be broken. You need to come to a point where nothing remains but an empty heart, an empty life, and a cry for help.

I think the reason this is so hard for us is because when we think of broken, we think of something that is damaged, useless, incapacitated and hopeless. So if we’re broken, that must mean that we’re damaged and hopeless too, right? Wrong. That’s not what God sees! God sees a person who’s broken as someone who is desperately crying out for help that only He can provide. He sees someone open. Every shred of pride and arrogance is stripped away, and nothing is left but a broken body and a beating heart. These are the people God uses for amazing things because they aren’t hindered by their own pride.

I struggle with pride. I like to think that I have control over my life… Recently God showed me that, actually, I’ve deluded myself into thinking that I’m in control. Control issues stem from pride, which comes from our sinful nature. Our sinful nature tells us that the first priority is ME, MY plans and MY desires come before anything else. Conversely, the Bible tells us that the most fulfilling life comes from pursuing GOD’s plan and GOD’s desires. I don’t know about you, but I like that second option better. It’s a lot less stressful to let God work things out rather than trying to carry it all by myself. Let’s face it, we weren’t created to be able to control everything… If we were, we wouldn’t need God. Humans need God. It’s as simple as that, and we need to stop deluding ourselves into thinking that we don’t.

So in conclusion, give this book a chance. I promise it’s worth it. It’s so hard to swallow, especially for someone like me who really wants to be in control. It’s ridiculously hard to give up on “Me”, but we have to in order to live up to our full potential in Christ. I’m still struggling with it, but you and me, we can do this together. Step by step, day by day, saying no to Me and yes to God!