First Baptist Church of Herndon

Self Help by the Book

Linda Soller | Mar 24, 2014

Have you ever turned to a self help book to help you reach a goal? Maybe you wanted to lose weight, or get organized, or find a job, or become a better parent, and you thought someone had surely written a book that held the key to success. For the month of March the “Drop In Class” has been discussing self help by the book. Now you are reading a blog from a church web site so I think you can imagine what book we were referring to as our resource.  We’ve had some fun with this topic and we have learned a few valuable lessons thus far.

The first week we looked at knowing the rules. In all areas of self help there must be rules. For the most part it is our failure to follow the rules that lands us in a place where we feel the need to get help. You might say if you had only known the rules you wouldn’t be in this spot. Example:  I know that if I drop enough stuff in piles around my house that it will not be neat and tidy, and for the most part won’t be organized. So as much as I wanted an “AH HA” moment when I bought my book on getting organized, I’ve got to admit I already knew the first rule - put things back in their place. Next I found myself rolling through in my mind the list of reasons why I don’t follow that rule. I think it is called finding excuses. So you might say the book was a waste of time, but as I read further I did learn more about how to manage my clutter. After digging deeper into the book I was surprised to see that it wasn’t all superficial stuff I already knew. It addressed the value you place on objects as reflected by how you treat them. It talked about our need to own “things”, and our reluctance to let go. But I’ve got to admit it took me a while to balance the rules of organizing with my long time habits, and I’m a pretty organized person to start.

In class we discussed the rules in the Bible, our self help book. We focused on the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20: 1-17). Like the rules for organizing, the commandments may seem obvious on the surface. The vast majority of people won’t break these rules regularly or hopefully ever. But that is on the surface, and as we looked deeper we recognized that following what appears to be ten straightforward rules could be very challenging for many people. We realized that many people who rarely if ever read the Bible still seem know most of the commandments, so imagine the help those people could find if they did indeed read the Bible. At the same time we discussed how these rules have been applicable over time. Good rules remain good rules.

Everyone was asked to come one Sunday in the month of March with a section or verse from the Bible that they have found meaningful in their life. The variety of verses has been impressive, and they have not always been verses that are widely known. I think it proves that you will get out of the Bible according to what you put in to the study of the Bible. Like any book that provides support and direction to be a “better” person and to live a “better” life, just taking a quick glance will deprive you of a wealth of information. Unlike modern day self help books, the Bible has stood the test of time, has been translated over and over again, and addresses all of you and your life not just one small part. I encourage you to pick up your Bible and read it. No matter what area of your “self” needs help, you will find answers in the Bible. It is the go to book for a better life.

Have a great week!  :o)    Linda