“I’m fine, don’t worry about me!”(Watchers, we are not Saints)

Watchers, we are not saints

Do you…

• …. feel guilty all the time. I’m not a good Watcher. Not even passable. Why can’t I do anything right?
• … gloss over your hardships and sacrifices. Oh I don’t do much, not at all. Yes I spent all day driving my loved one to appointments in the rain, but that doesn’t matter. It was nothing!
• … never share your problems. I’m going fine. One’s got to do what they’ve got to do! Other people have it worse, after all.

Why is it wrong?

• It’s a lie (some of the time at least). Either to ourselves, or to others. After all, no one is ‘fine’ every day of the year. No one is cheerful day in and day out.
• It squashes relationships. No one feels comfortable around someone who is seemingly perfect. No one is going to feel able to share their trials with you, if you never share with them.
• It removes the need for Jesus. If we have it all together why do we need a saviour?
• It’s a burden and a stress on us. Relief is found in community. There’s comfort in sharing and admitting the truth and receiving help.

Why does it happen?

• It’s a pride thing: we don’t want to be seen as weak.
• We’re afraid: what if we admit to having problems, but there are no solutions? What if the Bible is not enough?
• Watching is our identity, and so if we fail, we instantly become a less acceptable human.

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Some truths:

• Jesus’ strength and grace is revealed in weakness. We’re not doing the gospel any favours by trying to be perfect ourselves. Instead we’re propagating the lie that humans can be their own saviours
• Hardships and vulnerabilities make us more approachable
• If we do not admit to needing help, we are refusing to allow others to demonstrate the love of Jesus

How do we respond?

• Let’s practice talking about our struggles. This can be hard when we’re used to automatically replying ‘I’m good.” But it is worth it!
• We can cultivate humility and dependence on God by admitting to him that we need help. One way of doing this is praying before every task however small.
• Let’s repent of our pride and acknowledge that we need Jesus

Have you ever been tempted to be a “saint”? I have – and it’s never ended well.

My friends we are Watchers, not saints, and so let’s not be afraid to fail.

//What about you? Have you ever found yourself slipping into the ‘saint’ mentality?

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Author: Emily J. M.

Hi, I'm Emily. Two of my closest family members struggle with chronic illness, and I watch them. That's hard, and so I write about life as a 'Watcher', what it looks like to support them and find Hope. View all posts by Emily J. M.