A Better You?

By Israel Wayne

Recently I noticed the title of a new book from a popular television preacher entitled, Become A Better You. I haven’t read the book yet, so I can’t speak to its contents, but I have to admit the title turned me off.

Seeing that title reminded me of a conversation I once had with a Buddhist after speaking at a homeschooling seminar in the Chicago area. While the event was held in a church building, the event was promoted widely and a number of non-Christians attended. During my session to parents, I made a comment about the importance of training children “in the way they should go.” (Prov. 22:5)

During an intermission I saw a very intimidating and very angry looking man approaching our book table. He said, “You know, you’re all wrong about your views on children.”

“How so?” I asked.

“Parents shouldn’t impose their values on their children. They should merely help their children find their own way.”

Pondering this for a moment, I responded, “The Bible tells us that ‘a child left to himself disgraces his mother.’ (Prov. 29:15) It also informs us that ‘there is a way that seems right unto a man, but the end thereof is death.’ (Prov. 14:12) It also reveals that children have a sinful nature. David said, ‘Surely I was sinful from birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.’ (Ps. 51:5) Consistently the Bible reinforces the need for parents to train their children away from the way they want to go, and direct them to the ‘way they should go.’”

He then proceeded to tell me how the Bible was all wrong in its view of human nature. As an “enlightened” Buddhist, he told me that he had found the secret to inner peace.

“What you need to do,” he informed me, “is to think positive. Instead of looking down on yourself all the time, you need to learn how to tap into your inner goodness. You can do this through meditation or ‘self-talk.’ The main thing is to cut past all of the negative energy to reach the positive energy that lies in each one of us. There is nothing inherently wrong with you. You just need to learn how to tap into your good energy or your ‘true self.’ Once you do that, once you look deep inside of yourself, you can become a better you.”

I thought about telling him that simply using that term, “better” implies a certain imperfection. In order to become better, one has to realize that he has fallen from perfection. I wondered how he might account for that “fallenness.”

Instead I decided to respond with my initial gut reaction. “That is the most depressing thing I’ve ever heard in my life!”

The Buddhist looked very surprised.

“If I took your advice, I’d probably commit suicide.”

He looked even more surprised. We locked eyes.

“When I am really honest with myself, when I look deep inside of myself, it scares me. I don’t find goodness. I find evil. I find darkness. I find depravity. I don’t find answers, I find hopelessness. I’m not the solution, I’m the problem! I need rescued from myself. You are telling me that I need to get even more in touch my inner person or ‘true self’ in order to be liberated, but the fact is that if there isn’t something outside of me, that is stronger than me, than I’m doomed.”

I then explained to him, “That’s why I’m a Christian. It is only when I look at the life of Jesus Christ that I have any hope at all. I don’t need to become a ‘better person.’ I need to become a ‘born again’ person. You can’t take depravity and make it better. A ‘better’ depravity doesn’t do anybody any favors! It is only as my innate nature dies that the new nature, Christ’s nature, comes alive in me. Jesus Christ changed me when I was incapable of changing myself.”

I don’t need a “better me.” I need a forgiven me. I need a broken and humbled me. I need a redeemed me. I need a lot less of me. All I really need is Jesus.

Let's not allow pop culture, self-help pschology or Eastern religion to rob us of the truth that we are not good, and that our need is not to become better, it is to become holy.

Israel Wayne was home educated and currently serves as Marketing Director for Wisdom's Gate Publishing. He is the author of the book, Homeschooling From A Biblical Worldview, published by Wisdom’s Gate, and site editor for www.ChristianWorldview.net

Israel and his wife Brook (also a homeschool graduate) and reside in Michigan with their four young children. Write to: Wisdom’s Gate, P.O. Box 374, Covert, MI 49043. 1-800-343-1943, www.WisdomsGate.org

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