What About ME?

Jesus said to deny, or say “no” to, ourselves. That isn’t something you feel like doing, is it? Mom and Dad tell you to share and let the others go first. Or you have to help finish the chores, or give up something you want to do. Pretty soon you start to think “this isn’t very fun—what about ME?” It isn’t easy to say “no” to the things you want. After all, you’ve been thinking about yourself and how to make yourself happy since you were born!

Do you think God made you to be happy and cared about? Yes! But can you take care of making yourself happy? Think about it. When you think about yourself all the time, do you feel safe and happy—or anxious and irritable? Trying to please yourself is like carrying a big golden idol—a “how I will be happy” idol. An idol is something that seems very important to you. Maybe your idol is “friends” or “having fun” or “an exciting summer.” Your happiness idol might look pretty and strong, but as long as you are trying to make things work so you can be happy, you’ll find out it is really heavy and hard to carry.

It is too much for us to try to take care of our own happiness. We need someone bigger and stronger to take care of us. And that’s exactly what God wants to do. He is the only one big enough to make you truly happy and bear all your burdens. Listen to what He says: “I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.”* (Isaiah 46:4) God is the One who made you, so surely He knows how to fix your problems and help you be happy!

So who takes care of me? God does! You see, since I gave God everything—not just my sins and problems, but my hopes and desires—He takes care of making me happy. Happiness doesn’t come from focusing on ourselves—in fact it’s just the opposite! Happiness comes when we focus on God. Jesus said, “My yoke is easy, and My burden is light,”* (Matthew 11:30) because He wasn’t carrying around a heavy idol of “pleasing myself.” Jesus trusted His Father, the real living God, to take care of Him. Then He was able to serve others and help them find peace and happiness. That’s what I want to do, too!