Sane Faith in the Insanity of Life (David Powlison)
I’m rereading some of my old CCEF Journal of Biblical Counseling articles (on good old fashioned paper) and I’m also beginning to get acquainted with their online library. This classic series from David Powlison is on the CCEF website and I encourage you to slowly read and process it, especially if, like me, you are convicted that some areas of your life are in need of serious change:
Sane Faith in the Insanity of Life
In it, he discusses five people struggling with various challenges in life:
“Each of these five stories describes a person who needs help in order to face up, to deal, to change. But these people aren’t in a completely different category from the rest of us. They aren’t weird, as if the rest of us were normal. Think about it this way. They dial up the volume, but we all play the same kinds of music. These are our friends … and ourselves.”
And he shares a vivid “AntiPsalm 23” that is worth slowly reading. Out loud.
I’m processing through all of this, yet again, because of my own life and because of some struggles that a few dear friends, whom I care about passionately, are experiencing.
Again, Dr. Powlison’s reflections on these five case studies:
“Notice that nobody disputes the facts. Mental health practitioners, friends and family, you, me, and the God of the Bible agree that Garrett is narcissistic, has a bad temper, drinks too much, and uses porn. He tries to control his world because he thinks it’s his world. All agree that Sarah starves herself, works out relentlessly, and puts in a lot of mirror-time. She demands perfection on her own terms. Nothing I’m saying questions any of these facts. These are facts that call for explanations and call out for help.
The question is how to interpret the facts. What do these problems mean? Why do our five friends live like this? Why are they ruining their lives?
Does each of them “suffer from” a quasi-medical-sounding disorder that actually explains his or her problems? Do they ‘have’ diseases or conditions that the labels correctly name?
Or are they ‘doing’ extremely disorderly things for extremely confusing reasons? Are they living out lifestyles that God correctly names?
In other words, is the final explanation for our problems something bad happening to us? Or is it something bad about us? God’s interpretation is the second one, and he gets last say.”
Like all of David Powlison’s writings, these articles are worth careful reading. I’ll close with just one more excerpt to hopefully encourage you toward that end:
“But what is the final cause of how you live? You are your final cause. That said, let’s look briefly at the many contributing factors …
What goes on in your body has an influence. When you experience allergies or sleepless nights, premenstrual hormones or chronic pain, Asperger’s or Alzheimer’s, your mood, thinking and actions are affected. You’re tempted in different ways than when you feel fine. Similarly, it’s obvious that each of us comes wired from birth with a different temperament. Some people are more prone to anger, others to anxiety, others to getting discouraged, others to pleasure-addictions, and so forth. Our bodies affect us in many ways. For example, Matt may have been born more restless and distractible than you or I. It’s likely that Lise’s post-partum hormones color her moods. But does the body give the decisive, underlying explanation for their personal problems? No, no more than it gives the decisive explanation for their good and loving choices.
The body is a contributory factor, an influence. It’s not the final cause of either your faith or your idolatry, your kindness or your selfishness.
What the people around you do also has an influence on you. Like ‘nature,’ ‘nurture’ plays a role. Every one of us lives in a world filled with competing values, a variety of hardships, and many enticements. You implicitly absorb the categories of thought provided by your native language, and the values of your native culture. For example, Sarah lives in a society that glamorizes unreally thin women. Garrett’s father was a poor role-model for how to handle frustration, and his bad example ‘discipled’ his son into temper and drinking. We live in a world where betrayals of trust occur. Chandra lives among a group of peers who might (and have) hurt her. But, do those experiences provide the decisive explanation for their struggles? No.
These are significant, not determinative. Your surrounding environment influences you in countless ways, but it never determines whether your life orients in the direction of Christ or twists in on yourself …
How you live comes out of your heart. ‘Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life’ (Proverbs 4:23). The heart is you, not something that happens to you. Jesus says that when wrong actions appear, that wrong comes ‘from within, out of the heart of man’ (Mark 7:21). Something about who you are and what you live for sets your trajectory in life and shapes every choice.
Deep down, everyone knows this is true. That’s why every sort of treatment or therapy involves taking some responsibility for your life …
We’re tangled up, and we also live in tangled bodies amid a tangled world … Many things will influence you. The whole world is knotted up and dangling loose. But you are still your biggest problem. You need what God alone can give. It’s no accident that Jesus begins here: “The poor in spirit are blessed” (Matt. 5:3). It’s no accident that Paul heard God address his fundamental human weakness: “My grace is sufficient for you, because power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9). It’s no accident that most of the psalms cry for help. It’s no accident that Jesus is who he is, and does what he does. It’s no accident that God freely gives what you most need – the mercy to change your relationship with him, and the power to change you.
When we see how deeply the “madness in our hearts” (Ecclesiastes 9:3) infects us and our friends, then we see how deeply the love of God in Christ applies to our deepest problems. The real Psalm 23 and all the rest of God’s wisdom lead us home.”
To sanity.
God bless you on the journey, my friends.
With love and prayers,
Tara B.