Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Exponential Growth of Narcissism

Has anyone else noticed that this is growing exponentially in this generation, the idea that everyone is special? God teaches that NO ONE is special, only Christ.

I am aghast at how prevalent this is among so many, as though it is the entire culture and they all think it is good and normal.

Personally I believe the increase of this mentality of superiority is associated with the mentality of self esteem that has been taught the past 40 years, actually excessively praising children making them demand special treatment, as apposed to choosing to blend in as we were taught to do as children.

I am 64 years old and blending in "the melting pot" was the overall mentality of our culture which led to respecting one another, accepting our selves even in our flaws, even being able to say we were flawed.

Now days if you tell someone they need work on something in their character they become enraged that you don't think they are perfect and wonderful.

I have actually been told by a couple of family members that they do not respect me. I didn't take it seriously, other than being sad that I could not have a relationship with those who do not respect me.

What I realized was that those who have demeaned me by using the manipulation of lack of respect, in this way, had no respect for anyone but themselves. I was just the one they targeted for verbal abuse because I dared to correct them about something. Instead of dialoguing with me about my concerns they simply raged to shut the discussion down to maintain their status of control.

When we encounter a person who is full of themselves in this narcissistic way, we learn quickly that nothing can be worked out with them, the relationship is based on nothing more than their need to be superior and their enjoyment in demeaning another human being for personal elevation, then we have reached the end of the relationship.

Sadly God warned us about these people and that in the last days it would be mostly our experience. He said it would be as in the days of Lot and Noah, when everyone did what they wanted to do without regard for others, no matter how much they harmed their targets.

2 Timothy 3:1-5 gives us the description of these people while instructing us to turn away from them. They are not to be in our lives if we have a choice because we are called to live in peace and the narcissist will bring nothing but turmoil and hatred to the relationship.

2 Timothy 3:1-5 "3 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these."

Notice in this Timothy passage that God said they would be "haters of good." The more we walk with Christ and the more we teach His principles the more we will be hated by the narcissist. Not only will they hate us but they will attempt to make us and others think we did something bad, mean or wrong by speaking truth. These types hate the truth, it convicts them of their own sin even when all we do is live our lives to please the Lord.

John 15:17-19 "17 This is My command to you: Love one another. 18 f the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first. 19 If you were of the world, it would love you as its own. Instead, the world hates you, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.…"

Knowing these principles and having the wisdom that comes from Christ frees us from the bondage of false guilt. We no longer agonize over how we have been treated because we know where it comes from, the father of lies the devil and we know Who has our back, that being the Lord Jesus Christ, King of kings and Lord of lords.

Hallelujah!!!!


No comments:

Post a Comment