Confessing the Sin of Me Monster
If we Confess, He will Forgive
Brian Regan is one of my favorite comedians. So many of his quotes immediately come to mind! One of my favorites is about how to pronounce Brian’s name—it’s hilarious. 😂 It’s a quick bit, so check it out:
Incidentally, I named my youngest daughter Carolyn (KAR-uh-lin). My wife was adamant that people would call her Caroline—and more often than not, they do. Carolyn gets her feelings hurt when I do it too, so now I just call her an ol’ goat. She returns the favor by calling me a bald man. We have a great relationship. I’m almost sure she doesn’t hate me.
Sorry, I’m going off track! Back to Brian. One of his acts, “Me Monster,” is the perfect illustration for today’s confession of sin:
Why was the audience laughing? Because it’s true! Here’s a little Comedy 101: If something’s going to be funny, some part of the joke has to be true. The things that split our sides and cause us to tinkle in our drawers are the things we can relate to. And boy, can we relate to Me Monsters! (Link to the rest of the clip below.)
Warning: Me Monster Conversation Incoming! I bet most of you went on vacation over the Christmas/New Year holiday. And if you didn’t, I bet you wanted to be on vacation. Regardless, you have—or will have—this interaction:
Someone will say something like, “Oh, hey Bo, what did you do over break?”
I’ll reply, “Oh, nothing much. We visited family and popped some fireworks. You?”
They’ll inhale deeply and say, “Oh, thank you for asking! We flew to Greece and ate Astakomakaronada—that’s lobster pasta—on the Navagio Beach. The locals call it Shipwreck Beach. Can you believe you can still see the wrecked Panagiotis in the white sand? …And the cliffs!… …And the turquoise waters!… and… and…”
Then they’ll say, “Anyway, it was so good to see you! I’m glad you had fun with your family.”
After, we reinsert our lower jaw and wipe the drool off our mouths. Sinfully, we might look forward to 5 o’clock, where all our self-esteem dies of self-medicated drowning. But here’s the thing: I’m a Me Monster too! Maybe I’m not going on exotic vacations, but I have my own sources of esteem. And even if I don’t have much, I can still borrow my kids’ accomplishments and talk about them as if they’re my own. “Oh, you got a new boat with your Christmas bonus? Well, I have kids who love me, and they like it when I make fun of them. So there!”
It’s funny because it’s true. We’re all one-uppers. We’re all Me Monsters most of the time. Brian asked two important questions in his bit: “Why do people need to top other people? I never understood it, and I see it all the time.” Then, at the end of the clip, he asks, “What is it about the human condition that people get something out of that?” It’s sadly simple: we are deeply insecure. In our heart of hearts, we aren’t convinced that we matter. So, in our sin, we seek validation from others. It makes us feel better to see that we’ve had a better experience than someone else. We don’t feel impressive until someone says we have a beautiful house. We don’t feel smart until someone says we’ve read a lot of books. We don’t feel beautiful until someone says we’ve lost a lot of weight. And I don’t feel funny unless you laugh at my jokes. If I’m being honest, I don’t feel like I have a significant purpose unless you like this article and leave a comment. How’s that for sad truth?
It’s easy to be a one-upping Me Monster when it comes to other people. But it’s impossible in front of God. In the extended clip, Brian says the ultimate reply to any Me Monster is, “Oh yeah, well, I’ve walked on the moon!” You can’t top that! In his over-the-top comedic fashion, Brian beats his chest like a gorilla—which is comedy gold because that’s exactly how we display ourselves to the world around us. We’re like silverback gorillas, beating our chests showing off how important we are. That might work on earth, but it will never work in heaven. Imagine saying to God, “I’ve walked on the moon.” God would respond as He did to Job:
“Where were you when I created the earth? Tell me, since you know so much! Who decided on its size? Certainly, you’ll know that! Who came up with the blueprints and measurements? How was its foundation poured, and who set the cornerstone?” (Job 38:4-6, MSG)
May our sinful insecurity be turned into utter humility. May we respond like Job:
“I babbled on about things far beyond me, made small talk about wonders way over my head. I’m sorry—forgive me. I’ll never do that again, I promise!” (Job 42:3-6, MSG)
This is convicting:
• Psalm 34:18: “The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”
• Psalm 51:17: “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”
• Isaiah 66:2: “All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the LORD. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.”
God’s metaphor is rich. The word broken (shabar שָׁבַר) has the physical meaning of pottery or bones being shattered and crushed. The word contrite (dakah דָּכָה) magnifies shabar, meaning crushed, pulverized, and humble. It points to our worthlessness before a holy God. And what part of us undergoes this demolishing? Our heart (lev לֵב)—our center of emotions, mind, and will. To have a broken and contrite heart is to have your entire being laid flat in submission before the Lord God.
(Need a moment to cry and have some humble reflection? Listen to Where Were You by Ghost Ship.)
What is God’s response to the death of our Me Monsters? He imparts His mercy and readiness to forgive. Read His response to you:
• Psalm 147:6: “The LORD lifts up the humble; he casts the wicked to the ground.”
• James 4:10: “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.”
• 1 Peter 5:6: “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you.”
After humiliation comes restoration. May God forgive us, because apart from Him, we are the wicked in Psalm 147. But before Him, we are the broken, humbled, and contrite. May we never leave His presence! As is our custom, I invite you to join the other readers in a corporate confession of sin. Then, I’ll ask you to confess your faults freely. Lastly, we will pray for the assurance of forgiveness found only in Jesus Christ.
Let’s Pray:
Gracious Father, we confess that our hearts often seek validation in all the wrong places. We puff ourselves up, measuring our worth by the approval of others instead of resting in Your love. Forgive us for our pride and the insecurity that drives it. Lord, humble us before Your greatness, and teach us to find our value in Your presence alone. Remind us that You lift the humble and give grace to the contrite. Break our hearts of stone and make them new, that we may delight in You and glorify Your name. We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer. Amen.
In silence, continue to confess your sins.
Jesus, You hear our prayers and bring us forgiveness on the cross. Lord, we rejoice in your resurection from the dead and the eternal life You give us, defeating the power of death and making us alive forever with You. We are grateful for Your word in Hebrews 4:16, which assures us of Your grace, saying, “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
We praise You, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; through faith in Christ, we are saved. Lord, encourage our assurance through our faithfulness to You. And thank You, God, for giving us the Lord’s Prayer, which teaches us how to pray, saying, “Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.”
Thanks for praying; God Bless You! I hope you’ll read and pray with us next Saturday at 10 a.m. Do me a favor and leave a comment with your thoughts! I like a little back-and-forth.
This clip will start where the one above left off: