Beware Of (The) Dog In You)
Learning how to see yourself correctly is one of the most difficult challenges that all of us will face. Unfortunately, many of us never arrive at a proper self-understanding.
We tend to fall into two equally tragic categories. Some of us think too highly of ourselves. Every time I see an episode of American idol this comes to mind. I am constantly amazed how many people audition for that show who have absolutely no idea that they cannot sing. Just because you think you sound like Luther Vandross, you well, ahem…do not. The Bible explicitly warns us against this vice. It admonishes us in Romans 12:3 “not to estimate and think of himself more highly than he ought [not to have an exaggerated opinion of his own importance], but to rate his ability with sober judgment…”. The ability to evaluate yourselves thoroughly, honestly, and fairly is a life long struggle.
Conversely, some of us think too little of ourselves. In Act II Scene IV of Shakespeare’s Henry V, Dauphin says to the King, “self-love, my liege, is not so vile a sin as self-neglecting.” To neglect our talents, gifts, competencies, ideas and aspirations is ungodly! In Matthew 25: 26, Jesus characterized a man who hid his talents as “wicked.” In the name of false modesty, we fail to let “our little light shine, and in so doing, rob the world of the unique contributions that we were designed to make. Learning to see yourself correctly is one of the most difficult challenges that we all will face. Part of the difficulty is that to see ourselves correctly requires the assistance of others. The eye can see everything but itself. Thorough self-knowledge requires the input and insight of others. Our self-awareness grows to the extent that we allow the input and insight of others to inform our self-concept. The hard part is that what they see isn’t always flattering.
This is precisely what happened to a government official named Hazael in one of the most haunting scenes in all of scripture. He was a trusted advisor to a King named Ben-Hadad. Ben-Hadad fell sick and sent Hazael to ask the prophet Elisha to pray for him, and to inquire if he would recover from his illness. 2 Kings 8:9-13 tells us what happens:
Hazael went and met with Elisha. He brought with him every choice thing he could think of from Damascus—forty camel-loads of items! When he arrived, he stood before Elisha and said, “Your son Ben-Hadad, king of Aram, sent me here to ask you, ‘Am I going to recover from this sickness?’” Elisha answered, “Go and tell him, ‘Don’t worry; you’ll live.’ The fact is, though—God showed me—that he’s doomed to die.” Elisha then stared hard at Hazael, reading his heart. Hazael felt exposed and dropped his eyes. Then the Holy Man wept. Hazael said, “Why does my master weep?” “Because” said Elisha, “I know what you’re going to do to the children of Israel: burn down their forts, murder their youth, smash their babies, rip open their pregnant women.” Hazael said, ““Am I a mongrel dog that I’d do such a horrible thing?”
Elisha saw something in Hazael that Hazael didn’t know was inside of him, hence the shock of his response. It is likely that Hazael was insulted that Elisha would even suggest that he was capable of such an action. I can imagine Hazael silently fuming “how dare you call me a dog?” However, the scripture informs us that the next day Hazael took a towel and suffocated Ben-Hadad to death. Elisha was right. Hazael was a mongrel dog. And like some dogs, he turned on his benefactor.
In John 2:25, we are told that Jesus “knew what was in man.” Here’s today question: How well do you know what is inside of you? Inside of every single one of us is an enormous capacity for both good and evil. With God’s help, we must excavate the good and eliminate, or at least do our best to stifle the bad. I finally understand what the old saints used to mean when they said that they had to keep their foot on the Devil’s neck. What they meant is that they were keeping the dog inside of them on a leash.
I often joke that life would be so much easier if people had to walk around with labels written on their foreheads or signs hung around their necks that identified who they were. It would be extremely hilarious but extremely helpful. Maybe more of us should adorn a sign that says, “Beware Of The Dog.”
In Me.
I’m just saying. LOL