Delusion

I haven been reading The Importance of Being Foolish by Brennan Manning the last few days. The following quote, from the opening chapter of the book, has been disturbing me since I read it. In the book, Manning is quoting author Michael Quoist who says:

"We are satisfied by our decent little life. We are pleased with our good habits; we take them for virtues. We are pleased with our little efforts; we take them for progress. We are proud of our activities; they make us think we are giving ourselves. We are impressed by our influence; we imagine that it will transform lives. We are proud of what we give, though it hides what we withhold. We may even be mistaking a set of coinciding egoisms for real friendship."

These words sting. They make me uncomfortable, squirming in my seat because they speak too loudly the truth of who I am. I am far too easily impressed by myself. My mind is full of delusions about myself, and ultimately about who Jesus is in my life.

It's time to change the way I think.