Unhealthy Introspection
Introspection (in·tro·spec·tion)—examining one's own mental (thoughts) and emotional (feelings) thought processes.
Unhealthy introspection however, is the wrong way and is a threat to who you are in Christ.
Many of us tend to examine ourselves in a way that is excessive, inaccurate, and leads to discouragement. Yes, God calls us to examine ourselves in 2 Corinthians 13:5 and in Lamentations 3:40, but healthy self-examination can be very difficult.
Introspection can sometimes be deceptive when that introspection makes us self-absorbed instead of Christ-focused, and will undermine our faith. Our flesh oftentimes, seizes self-examination as an opportunity to turn our thoughts against us.
It is a serious mistake to think that the way we grow in the Kingdom, is by focusing on our sins and struggles. Relying on Jesus is the best and surest way to grow up in His grace.
There’s an insightful example on introspection in Nathaniel Hawthorne's, The Scarlet Letter. The character, Arthur Dimmesdale is a pastor who secretly committed adultery. Rather than humbling himself in confession and turning to Christ for mercy and help, Dimmesdale tragically turns inward.
Persistent guilt, fasting, self-mutilation, and sorrow could not heal him. The minister soon loses his mind, destroys his health, and ruins his soul through the torment of endless self-reflection. Hyper-introspection will always “breed morbid emotions and creates despair.” (Charles Spurgeon)
Spurgeon said that trying to make “spiritual progress” through excessive introspection, is like a store owner who closes his shop because he is worried that he is not selling enough. The store owner goes into the backroom and spends all his time taking inventory of things he hasn’t sold.
That’s an accurate picture of what we often do when we examine our own thoughts and feelings. We try to escape anxiety by analyzing our soul, to treat shame and feelings of worthlessness-by turning inward to examine our self-worth. We battle persistent guilt by meditating on our many sins.
Many of us tend to be self-reflective to a fault. Self-examination is vital, but it can quickly lead to morbid introspection. Too often, we end up taking an approach to spiritual growth that turns us inward, reinforcing our natural self-absorption and exacerbating our problems. Change will not come ultimately from our just looking inward and is less important in comparison to the power of Christ. This is the better way to grow in grace. Better than self-help, self-searching, self-discovery, and self-actualization.
I myself, am familiar with this type of introspection --recently, my own unhealthy self-examination drove me to minimize my faith and simply led me away from the foot of the cross! The Holy Spirit had to show me through a series of insightful revelations, and directed me right back to the foot of the cross, and the sufficiency of His Grace!
If you are currently lost in the hodgepodge of introspective concerns, being made aware of the confusion and chaos within, and burdened by deceptive self-reflection, the best thing you can do is to go to the Word, hear the voice of the Lord, and experience the flood of light that will pour into your mind with clarity and comfort.
This grace is the only provision and the necessary atmosphere for healthy self-examination. In conclusion…
Forget yourself and think only of Christ’s grace!