Confronting the Me-Monster: A Review of WAIT, Where Am I in This?

‍”Our wisdom, in so far as it ought to be deemed true and solid Wisdom, consists almost entirely of two parts: the knowledge of God and of ourselves. But as these are connected together by many ties, it is not easy to determine which of the two precedes and gives birth to the other.” – John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion

My favorite comedian, Brian Regan, has a bit about the “Me-Monster”, where he makes fun of people who are always trying to turn the focus of conversations onto themselves. Did you have a rough day? The Me-Monster had a worse day. Did you recently go on vacation? The Me-Monster went somewhere even more exotic. And so on. Nobody likes a Me-Monster.

The irony is that Regan’s comedic brilliance is his ability to examine his own life in a critical way. His comedy is mostly self-deprecating, and there’s something therapeutic about being able to laugh at oneself. The ancient Greek principle, to “Know thyself,” is at the heart of Regan’s act. We all need to be able to examine ourselves critically and recognize our weaknesses. Otherwise, we become Me-Monsters, presenting ourselves to the world in ornatu in an attempt to cover our sins.

The first Me-Monsters were Adam and Eve. They ate from the wrong tree, and then they created fig leaf façades for themselves. Rather than doing some needed self-examination, they dressed up as fruit trees, the very thing that got them into trouble in the first place. Don’t we all do this? Proverbs 26:11 seems to indicate so.

We very quickly dive deep into our sins, making up stories in our own minds about how they’re not that bad, and in fact, maybe even a good thing. Maybe God wanted me to understand good and evil after all! Maybe that lie I told was a good idea! Maybe that money I stole will be better off in my wallet!

We were not put on this earth to downgrade ourselves into shrubbery. We are God’s image bearers, miniature reflectors of divinity. But all was not lost for Adam and Eve. Just when it should have been lights out for the human race, God intervened, and he did it in a way that was even more clever than the serpent’s craftiness. He had Adam take a good hard look at himself, asking, “Where are you?”

This question is at the heart of my brother-in-law, Dr. Lee Long’s new book, WAIT, Where Am I In This?God’s question to Adam was intended to get Adam to do some serious self-reflection.

“Adam, what are you feeling right now?”
“Fear.”
“What led you to feel this way?”
“The actions of someone else.”
“Hmm.”

Although I admit extreme bias, I believe Long’s book is a superb, thorough, readable, and helpful explanation of the wisdom of knowing oneself in light of who God made each of us to be. It’s a book built on the wisdom from the Calvin quote above. In order to truly flourish, especially in relationships with God and others, we must be able to critically analyze where our hearts and minds are leading us. If we are willing to be honest about who we are, how we feel, why we feel that way, and whether or not we are comfortable with those things, we have a fighting chance to overcome our failures and weaknesses.

Are you anxious about something? Ask yourself what God asked Adam. “Where are you?” Why are you feeling anxiety? Have you felt this way before? When? Is this a pattern in your life? What triggers it?

After reading WAIT, I realized I agree with everything Long says in the book, but I have a horrible habit of rarely looking inward. I can be highly critical of others, but I don’t like to be critical of myself. I look at my fig leaf and think, “What a nice outfit! It fits me perfectly!”

Jesus said the greatest command is to love God and love others as yourself. I have always struggled with the last part, “as yourself.” Doesn’t Philippians 1:4 say not to look at my own interests? Shouldn’t my focus be on others? Yes, but God knows how hard loving others really is. Everyone is complex and full of problems, and in order to love complex, problematic people, I’d better spend some time recognizing how complex and problematic I am, too. Otherwise the “love” I have for others is going to be riddled with false pretenses and fig leaves.

I’m naturally a Me-Monster; I love being the center of attention. I tend to show off my tree costume rather than be comfortable in my own skin. I pray that God will give me a richer, fuller understanding of myself in light of who he is. I also pray you’ll get a copy of WAIT, Where Am I In This?and read it for your own benefit. It’s a great book, and I’m very proud of my brother-in-law for publishing it!

Check out Lee Long talking with famous people about his new book here: https://www.drleelong.com/press

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