All Puffed Up

I'm an enneagram 3 -- the Achiever or Performer.

I know this because of the underlying motivations that drive me. Some are beautiful and healthy. Others are hideous and sick.

One of the traits that frustrates the daylights out of me is my need to appear impressive. I hate this about myself. God's grace has grown me out of it in some powerful ways. (Which means there's hope for all of us!) But sometimes it still shows up.

I want people to be impressed when I'm around them. I am tempted to name drop, or tell stories that make me look better than I am.

This is hard, confessing this to you. But I'm doing it for a reason.

You see, one of the ways I battle this inward struggle is to remind myself of some principles. I often remind my teams of the same. Maybe they can help you, too:

1) I have to be more concerned with my Savior than my singing;
2) I have to be more impressed with Jesus than I hope to impress others with myself; and
3) I can't try to impress; simply express.

Let's go back to the first -- I have to be more concerned with my Savior than my singing. If you're not a singer, this still applies. Whether you serve in the tech booth, the band, the preschool classroom, or the deacon body... strive to be more concerned with the Giver than the gift. Always.

And the second -- I have to be more impressed with Jesus than I hope to impress others with myself. In other words, my the more consumed I am with Jesus, the less concerned I'll be with me. Make Jesus the focus of your time when you serve, when you wash dishes, or when you hang out with family and friends. Impress people with Jesus.

And finally -- I can't try to impress, simply express. When I'm on stage, or leading a meeting, or sitting with friends, I'm at my best when I don't care if others know I'm at my best. But still, I have a stewardship responsibility to express my faith and my gifts clearly. I can express clearly without trying to impress broadly.

Romans 11:25 says it clearly enough that I should understand it better by now: "I want you to understand this mystery, dear brothers and sisters, so that you will not feel proud (puffed up) about yourselves."

And so this is, perhaps, a tiny facet of pursuing humility.

Willing to comment? Where do you struggle with being puffed up? And perhaps even better, what helps you keep from being puffed up? I'd LOVE to see what works for you!