It's My (Pity) Party and I Can Cry If I Want To

This has been an "interesting" week for me on a personal level. Nothing major, but some frustrations at home, some insecurities at work and some angst in my personal life have added up to make it a sub-par week.

• At home: A few days ago, our air conditioning unit went out. Keep in mind we live in Texas, it's the summer and it's approximately 142 degrees outside, give or take 42 degrees. Let's just say it wasn't cold in our house.

• At work: I have struggled with some speaking anxiety and it happened again this past Wednesday night. I was embarrassed and almost froze speaking in front of 300 people.

• In my personal life: I have not done a great job of working out or eating the past two weeks and I feel sluggish and lethargic.

Again, nothing major, but enough for me to sulk and throw a pity party. You're all invited if you'd like to come.

There are times when we all experience weeks filled with one small disappointment or unmet expectation after another. One thing we all have in common is that we all know what it's like to throw our own pity party.

The problem for me this week, is that in the midst of my sulking I have missed out on some other amazing parties going on all around me. And I don't mean the types of parties you and I used to go to in our college days.

Friday morning I read a passage in the gospel of Luke that really convicted me of some of my sin and discontentment.

Luke writes in Luke 7:31-35:

"Jesus went on to say, “To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other: “‘We played the pipe for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not cry.’ For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is proved right by all her children.”

In this passage, Jesus compares His present generation to fickle children who became upset when their peers refused to cooperate with them. They tried to get their peers to play along and to participate, but then threw themselves a pity party when their peers did not play along. Meanwhile, Jesus and John the Baptist are in their presence but they're missing out because they're too busy throwing their own pity parties.

On Wednesday night at Merge, we had 120 couples come to our premarried class to learn about marriage. 120 couples who chose to prepare for marriage. 120 couples who will get to hear about the foundational role Jesus needs to play in their lives and in their marriage.

The problem for me is that I missed it. I missed out on all the awesome stuff God was doing because I was so concerned about my little pity party. It's just like the people Luke references in the passage above - Jesus was in their midst, and they completely missed Him. I was like the spoiled children in Luke 7:31-35, the ones who were always distracted, pleased by nothing and criticizing everything. I was like a grown man acting like a little, dependent, crying baby.

In the midst of my crying, whining and pity party, I missed Jesus.

What do you do when you throw your own pity party? How can you and I avoid missing out on Jesus when we criticize everything and are pleased by nothing? Here are a few suggestions:

1. Choose to rejoice always and be thankful in the midst of all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

2. Stop looking at yourself and instead look around and focus on others (Philippians 2:3-4).

3. Ask others what they see in your life that distracts you from seeing Jesus. Ask them if you are content in most/all circumstances or if you tend to throw your own pity parties. If your friend or spouse gives you some feedback, remember to be humble and teachable, not defensive. Remember, "faithful are the wounds of a friend" (Proverbs 27:6).

By the way, I picked the winners from Tuesday's post. Somehow I lost the ability to comment or display comments yesterday. What can I say... I'm a pastor, not a web guy. But I was able to see the comments on my dashboard - I got 13 comments from email, Instagram and the blog. Congrats to Andrew, Brittany and Hunter for being the three winners!

Your Turn

1. How often and why do you throw your own pity parties?

2. In the midst of your pity parties, what are you missing out on? What is Jesus doing in your midst that you miss because you're so focused on yourself?

3. How can you grow in thankfulness and contentedness?