Latest / Pastor John Piper's answers / Peace for Second-Guessers

Transcript

Peace for Second-Guessers · Pastor John Piper's answers

• 0:04
  Speaker 1: Well, last week we looked at whether Pastor John was
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: trained well enough to be a pastor when he became
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: one in 1980 at the age of 34. It was
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: an interesting episode. Always fun to hear Pastor John and
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: his stories and his life and experiences. And we live
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: in a world where you can get a lot of
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: formal training and it can be very helpful. But all
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: the training in the world will not alleviate the anxiety
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: that we can feel over whether we're serving people adequately.
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: Imposter syndrome, some people call it. Perfectionism, another name for it.
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: We all want to excel at our callings. We want
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: to be capable. We want to succeed. And we want
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: to bless others and truly impact the world for good.
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: So how do we learn to leave off the anxiety
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: that says we could do everything better? That's today on
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: Ask Pastor John. Peace for second-guessers. An anonymous man, a surgeon,
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: writes with our question today. Pastor John, thank you for
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: this podcast and for sharing your own experience as an
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: aspiring medical professional in college, which I've heard you mention
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: in APJ episodes. 1373, 1382, 1730, and 1916. Yeah, at least.
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: I relate to that part of your story as a
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: surgeon currently struggling with anxiety and stress related to my job.
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: Many nights I lay awake worrying about my patients, whether
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: I could have made better decisions, how I could improve
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: my skills, or stressing over unresolved issues. This constant drive
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: to do more and be better makes me less present
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: with my family. Sometimes I even yearn for early retirement.
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: While I understand that God is sovereign over my patients
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: and their outcomes, I also know that my own effort
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: and diligence directly impact their care. My question is, how
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: do I find the proper balance between resting in God's
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: providence and being diligent in my job without becoming so
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: consumed by my work that it pulls me away from
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: my family when I'm off the clock? These competing forces
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: are causing me inner turmoil and I'm struggling to navigate
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: them well.
• 1:51
  Speaker 2: That question is absolutely basic to living the Christian life.
• 1:57
  Speaker 2: And it's not unique to the pressures of being a surgeon.
• 2:02
  Speaker 2: It's an issue for teachers who want to have good
• 2:06
  Speaker 2: lessons for their students, for the handyman who wants his
• 2:11
  Speaker 2: repair job not to break down the day after he leaves.
• 2:14
  Speaker 2: So did he do a good enough job? Did he
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: spend enough time on it? For pastors who wonder if
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: they've made enough house calls, done enough evangelism, prepared long
• 2:23
  Speaker 2: enough on the sermons, for moms who wonder, have I
• 2:27
  Speaker 2: spent enough time with my kids, for consultants who wonder
• 2:31
  Speaker 2: if they've put in enough hours to be worthy of
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: the fees they're collecting, and on and on and on.
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: In other words, everybody who is a serious Christian faces
• 2:41
  Speaker 2: the question, in view of God's sovereignty and wisdom and
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: goodness in my life, have I done enough or have
• 2:49
  Speaker 2: I done too much? Am I Exerting faith-filled effort to
• 2:57
  Speaker 2: do the best job I can, too much or too little.
• 3:01
  Speaker 2: Everybody faces this question. It's a wonderful, so important question.
• 3:06
  Speaker 2: Our surgeon friend says, I worry whether I could have
• 3:12
  Speaker 2: made better decisions and how I could improve my skills.
• 3:17
  Speaker 2: He knows something's off. because he's often not really present
• 3:22
  Speaker 2: with his family when he's present with his family. He asks,
• 3:26
  Speaker 2: how can I find the right balance, quote, resting in
• 3:30
  Speaker 2: God's providence and being diligent in my job, close quote.
• 3:38
  Speaker 2: So in the end, what I would say to start
• 3:40
  Speaker 2: with is, in the end, peace of mind like that
• 3:47
  Speaker 2: is a gift of God. It's a fruit of the
• 3:50
  Speaker 2: Holy Spirit. It goes beyond human rationality and figuring out.
• 3:59
  Speaker 2: We know that because Paul says that in Philippians 4, 7,
• 4:05
  Speaker 2: the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding. That's amazing.
• 4:13
  Speaker 2: He knows you can't figure this out. You can't make
• 4:17
  Speaker 2: peace happen by your rational computations of ours. That peace
• 4:22
  Speaker 2: will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, though
• 4:26
  Speaker 2: it comes from him directly through means, but not entirely
• 4:32
  Speaker 2: quantifiable with your reason. It goes beyond human rationality. So
• 4:37
  Speaker 2: I pray, I pray now that this gift will be
• 4:42
  Speaker 2: given to this surgeon and everybody else who's listening who
• 4:46
  Speaker 2: struggles with this, like all of us. But I know
• 4:49
  Speaker 2: that God uses his word often in ways that are
• 4:55
  Speaker 2: beyond our expectation. And so here are a few things
• 4:59
  Speaker 2: for all of us to think about as we wrestle
• 5:02
  Speaker 2: with this question. Maybe God will use these few points
• 5:07
  Speaker 2: of pondering that might help. Number one, be sure that
• 5:12
  Speaker 2: you keep in mind with a deep sense of confidence
• 5:16
  Speaker 2: that God's action precedes and enables your action. Our efforts
• 5:24
  Speaker 2: are not in addition to God's efforts. They are an
• 5:28
  Speaker 2: expression of God's efforts. Philippians 2.12, work out your salvation
• 5:36
  Speaker 2: because God is the one who is at work in
• 5:39
  Speaker 2: you to will and to work for his good pleasure.
• 5:43
  Speaker 2: Don't think that you contribute your part and God contributes
• 5:48
  Speaker 2: his part. Your part is his part also. Knowing this
• 5:54
  Speaker 2: really does become a great burden lifter. It doesn't make
• 6:00
  Speaker 2: you passive, but it can make you peaceful. Second, don't
• 6:06
  Speaker 2: lose sight of the fact that God's work in and
• 6:12
  Speaker 2: through you, both in preparation, say, of surgery, getting ready
• 6:17
  Speaker 2: for surgery, or execution, the actual doing of it. Don't
• 6:22
  Speaker 2: lose sight of the fact that God's work in you
• 6:26
  Speaker 2: is gracious. It's gracious and undeserved. You don't earn it.
• 6:30
  Speaker 2: 1 Corinthians 15.10, by the grace of God, I am
• 6:34
  Speaker 2: what I am. And his grace toward me was not
• 6:37
  Speaker 2: in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any
• 6:42
  Speaker 2: of them, though it was not I, but the grace
• 6:47
  Speaker 2: of God that is with me. Your work, your preparation,
• 6:52
  Speaker 2: your reading those extra journals and looking at extra training videos,
• 6:57
  Speaker 2: your work is carried along by his work, and it's
• 7:02
  Speaker 2: all of grace. This adds to your peace because you
• 7:06
  Speaker 2: don't need to torment yourself. that you don't deserve his help.
• 7:11
  Speaker 2: Of course you don't. That's the meaning of the word grace.
• 7:17
  Speaker 2: Number three, the Bible teaches us to pray for spiritual wisdom.
• 7:24
  Speaker 2: Spiritual wisdom. Oh, that we all had it. Colossians 1.9,
• 7:29
  Speaker 2: we pray for you that you may be filled with
• 7:32
  Speaker 2: the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom. and understanding,
• 7:39
  Speaker 2: so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord.
• 7:44
  Speaker 2: This is so hopeful. Paul knows that we do not
• 7:50
  Speaker 2: know in ourselves how to find the balance we're looking for.
• 7:54
  Speaker 2: He knows that. We must have help. We must have divine, supernatural,
• 8:00
  Speaker 2: miraculous help. So he teaches us to pray for it.
• 8:04
  Speaker 1: Pray.
• 8:05
  Speaker 2: God, I need spiritual wisdom to know how much effort
• 8:11
  Speaker 2: to put into my skill as a surgeon to pray
• 8:16
  Speaker 2: and trust him to answer. Four, seek to love your
• 8:21
  Speaker 2: family and your patients. Make love a central category. That is,
• 8:27
  Speaker 2: seek to treat them the way you would want to
• 8:28
  Speaker 2: be treated. That's Jesus' golden rule. And I know In
• 8:33
  Speaker 2: a sense, that's what creates the problem. I know, I know, Pastor.
• 8:39
  Speaker 2: I know I'm supposed to love them both. That's the problem. Yes,
• 8:43
  Speaker 2: loving my patients seems to demand more preparation for surgery.
• 8:47
  Speaker 2: Loving my family seems to demand less preparation for surgery. Help.
• 8:53
  Speaker 2: But that doesn't mean Jesus' command is irrelevant or unuseful.
• 8:59
  Speaker 2: He really does want you to love your kids. the
• 9:03
  Speaker 2: way you'd like to be loved and love your patients
• 9:06
  Speaker 2: the way you'd like to be loved. And he knows
• 9:09
  Speaker 2: when your heart is right in both directions and he'll
• 9:14
  Speaker 2: bless it. And one of the ways the Lord will
• 9:17
  Speaker 2: show you the balance is by keeping love, the very
• 9:22
  Speaker 2: vision of love in front of your eyes. Five, in
• 9:28
  Speaker 2: the very struggle of to seek God's help in not
• 9:33
  Speaker 2: being anxious, be a deeply thankful person toward God. You
• 9:39
  Speaker 2: may think, what's that got to do with anything? Well, listen,
• 9:43
  Speaker 2: Philippians 4.6, Paul says, do not be anxious about anything.
• 9:49
  Speaker 2: That's amazing, really? Do not be anxious about anything, but
• 9:53
  Speaker 2: in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. Why do
• 10:00
  Speaker 2: he add that? With thanksgiving, let your requests be made
• 10:04
  Speaker 2: known to God, and his peace will guard you, guard
• 10:08
  Speaker 2: your hearts, your minds. So he doesn't want you to
• 10:11
  Speaker 2: come screaming into his presence, I don't know what to
• 10:15
  Speaker 2: do about tomorrow's surgery. I don't know what to do
• 10:17
  Speaker 2: with my kids. And have no spirit of thankfulness. That's wrong.
• 10:21
  Speaker 2: That's not right. Your heart's not right if you have
• 10:24
  Speaker 2: no spirit of thankfulness for the incredible blessings he has
• 10:30
  Speaker 2: given you for eternal life and a hundred other ways.
• 10:33
  Speaker 2: A thankful heart is a means to peace. even if
• 10:39
  Speaker 2: we don't understand how, because that's what it says. Number six, finally, remember,
• 10:46
  Speaker 2: if you are walking in the light, trust in Christ,
• 10:50
  Speaker 2: the blood of Jesus covers all your mistakes. It covers
• 10:54
  Speaker 2: all your mistakes. Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are
• 10:57
  Speaker 2: forgiven and whose sins are covered, Romans 4, 7. If
• 11:02
  Speaker 2: your heart condemns you and says, you didn't do a
• 11:06
  Speaker 2: good enough job on that surgery, didn't do a good
• 11:09
  Speaker 2: enough job about your kids. The gospel says, in all
• 11:15
  Speaker 2: your uncertainty about your own guilt or non-guilt, you're covered.
• 11:21
  Speaker 2: You're covered by the blood of Jesus. Without this gospel,
• 11:25
  Speaker 2: I don't know how anybody survives in demanding work. We
• 11:30
  Speaker 2: will fret under relentless uncertainty that we've not done all
• 11:37
  Speaker 2: we could do. if we can't rest, that the gospel
• 11:40
  Speaker 2: is going to cover our failures. But under the gospel,
• 11:46
  Speaker 2: under the blood, the sovereignty of God, the grace of God,
• 11:50
  Speaker 2: the gift of spiritual wisdom, the call of love, the
• 11:53
  Speaker 2: spirit of thankfulness, under the blood, these will show us
• 12:01
  Speaker 2: the balance we need.
• 12:03
  Speaker 1: Yeah. And just to underline that last point, without this gospel,
• 12:06
  Speaker 1: I don't know how anybody survives in demanding work. We
• 12:11
  Speaker 1: will fret under relentless uncertainty that we've not done all
• 12:14
  Speaker 1: we could do if we can't rest, that the gospel
• 12:17
  Speaker 1: is going to cover our failures. That's the key. And
• 12:22
  Speaker 1: without the gospel, we cannot survive the high callings of
• 12:25
  Speaker 1: even marriage, parenting, leadership, all the things that God gives
• 12:28
  Speaker 1: us to do. We must rest in God's sovereignty at
• 12:31
  Speaker 1: the end of the day, resting in him, thanking him,
• 12:34
  Speaker 1: leaning on his grace for all of our successes and
• 12:37
  Speaker 1: grace to cover all of our failures and all our
• 12:39
  Speaker 1: second guessing. Wise words, Pastor John. Thank you very much
• 12:43
  Speaker 1: for this episode. Well, there is someone who wants you
• 12:46
  Speaker 1: to live in constant second guessing. He calls you an imposter,
• 12:51
  Speaker 1: a fake. He wants you to forget the gospel and
• 12:55
  Speaker 1: focus entirely on your failures, to find no peace in
• 12:58
  Speaker 1: life and no peace in your work and no peace
• 12:59
  Speaker 1: in Christ, but to be constantly wondering if you are
• 13:02
  Speaker 1: enough or have done enough. And that person is Satan himself.
• 13:06
  Speaker 1: When he is up to his most evil work. Next time,
• 13:10
  Speaker 1: how evil works. I'm Tony Reinke. We'll see you back
• 13:14
  Speaker 1: here on Thursday.