A few weeks ago a friend on Face Book who is a Christian shared the self-affirmation statements he says to himself every morning in the mirror as he is shaving. None of them had to do with God or his faith. My first thought was, “been there and done that” as I thought back to the Power of Positive Thinking and Dr. Norman Vincent Peale. I think my friend’s inspiration came from the fictional Stuart Smalley character on Saturday Night Live, who looked in the mirror and affirmed his abilities, always ending with: “I am good enough, I am smart enough and doggone it, people like me”.
Self-affirmation may give temporary psychological confidence and peace of mind, but it is dependent on our environment and human limitations. It wasn’t until I had a spiritual awakening that my emphasis changed and I began to affirm the power within me described in the “super eight” chapter of Romans. Since then I affirm with confidence God’s power and His ability to use me. I not only have peace of mind, but a peaceful spirit as well and there are no limitations to God’s power. Cody Johnson had that same spiritual awakening when he wrote these lyrics: “I thought number one would surely be me. I thought I could be what I wanted to be. I thought I could build on life’s sinking sand, but now I can’t even walk without you holding my hand. I thought I could do a lot on my own. I thought I could make it all day long. I thought of myself as a mighty big man, but now I can’t even walk without you holding my hand. Oh Lord, I can’t even walk without you holding my hand. The mountain’s too high and the valley’s too wide. Down on my knees, that’s where I learned to stand. Oh Lord, I can’t even walk without you holding my hand.”
That song has special meaning for me and my walker, but I have always needed to feel His hand in mine even before I realized it. His hand has always been there like the loving Daddy (Abba) that He is. You may have noticed I didn’t quote scripture this time. The entire book of Psalms is filled with words of affirmation of God’s power and love as well as our need for both.