Self-centredness

Part of the series Hangups
Written by Léo Gaumont, published on 2015-11-16.

What comes natural is often what we should be overcoming.

We are generally all ignorant of what is actually happening around us. This ignorance can either be perpetuated and capitalized upon or fixed to empower the masses. It is time to enlighten home educators who have generally been kept in the dark respecting what is occurring within their community. (Ephesians 4: 11-16)

Bible Reference: 2 Tim. 3:1-7

In an ancient movie entitled “The African Queen”, Rosie, a missionary, is mortified to find her rescuer drunk as a skunk. Charlie, the rescuer, is likewise perplexed by Rosie’s reaction and states that the gin, which he has consumed in abundance, is natural. Rosie responds with words that we have repeated, times innumerable, in our house. She says, “What comes natural is what we should be striving to rise up above”. True words, rarely spoken!
 
It is natural for us to see ourselves as the standard for all things, but standards can only be established by someone or something outside of the system we are in. The only standard that could possibly be outside of ourselves as people is something bigger than people and that can only be God. If God is not seen as the center of the universe, the essence of love, the way, the truth, the life, the standard by which to measure all things whether good or bad, we default to making ourselves these things. Therefore, if we don’t focus on the standards as outlined in the Bible, we make up or become the standard, which is to be self-centered. In fact, there really are only two possible gods; the real God... or ourselves!

We are born behaving as though we are god and until we meet the real God, we go on as though we are the center of the universe. Yet, as much as it may be necessary for us to correct this natural inclination, it requires both resolve and effort to do so and if we are to do this, we must be able to admit that we can be wrong or in error. This does not come naturally.

Why should it be so hard to admit we don’t know or to confess error or to say we are sorry or to ask forgiveness? Even professing Christians, who had to admit they were less than perfect before accepting Christ’s salvation, find it very difficult to do so. Again, it is because we are naturally in competition with God for the centrality of all things.

Bringing this discussion to our focus on education, our limited understanding of what truly constitutes biblical training and teaching within the confines of what God has created, limits our knowledge, and when combined with the fact that we see ourselves as the standard, causes us to advance the secular education we have experienced as the standard. Simply put, if we are the standard and all we know is secular education, then secular education is the standard, since we cannot be wrong. Never mind the fact that most of what we believe is a combination of lies, errors and omissions advanced as normal, right and acceptable. If it is all we know, and we are the standard, it becomes true because we believe it. Even more disconcerting is the fact that we are incorrigible when we begin any argument on the premise of being right.

Until we are fully prepared to step down from our natural pulpit of self-centeredness and the naturally associated self-righteousness and to give place to God as the center of all truth, we will go on, not only advancing, but defending school and all of it’s associated faults as the norm. In fact, if growing in number or making more cash is the objective, those purporting to be advancing home education would do well to play on people’s self-centered notion of being right about what they erroneously understand about education.

Since we are naturally more inclined to advance something from “2 Opinions” than from “2 Corinthians”, we are more likely to advance the only thing we know as truth, even if is not. We default to a secular education mindset, perhaps trying to “Christianize” it in a vain attempt to fix it, because that is all we know and we cannot be wrong. This is what comes naturally, and what we should all be striving to rise up above!

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