Madonna’s Burdensome Self-Rescue Project

Key Points:

• Relying solely on your own efforts to get ahead is a “burdensome self-rescue project” that is guaranteed to fail.

• Some years ago, Madonna admitted her intense drive comes from a “horrible fear of being mediocre” and a constant need to prove her worth.

• Many of the highest achievers are the most enslaved to a spirit of competition, often competing with themselves to overcome feelings of inadequacy.

• The movie Chariots of Fire illustrates an example of this, with the story of 1924 Olympian Harold Abrahams, who said, “I used to be afraid to lose, but now I’m afraid to win. In an hour from now, I will be out there again. I will raise my eyes and look down that lane four feet wide with 10 lonely seconds to justify my whole existence.”

• One of the emptiest moments in life is when you finally achieve what you thought would bring ultimate fulfillment, only to find that it has let you down.

• The need to justify ourselves by “winning” is a heavy burden that humans were not meant to carry, and it drives people to lie, cheat, and steal to avoid rejection.

• While the surface-level reason for this competitive drive is a desire for approval, love, and respect, the ultimate root cause is a single word: unbelief.

• We engage in self-justification because we don’t truly believe that we are already justified, loved, and approved by God.

• This unbelief leads to identity crises, as we try to forge our own identities through our accomplishments rather than resting in the identity God has already given us.

• The cycle of striving and disappointment only ends when we stop trying to secure our own validation and accept that our worth is already firmly established by God’s love for us.

May this be a reminder to Be Bold and Speak Up

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About Tullian Tchividjian

Tullian is the pastor at The Sanctuary church in Jupiter, Florida. He is the grandson of the late evangelist Billy Graham and his wife Ruth Graham. Tullian pastored two churches in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, before planting The Sanctuary in Jupiter.  The Sanctuary is a non-denominational church proclaiming the boundless love of Jesus to a broken world.  Because of what Jesus has accomplished for us, The Sanctuary is a place to find love and laughter, hope and healing, acceptance and forgiveness, and mercy and help. Watch more of Pastor Tullian's messages on The Sanctuary's YouTube.channel.  Connect with the church on Facebook or online. Find Tulllian's books on Amazon.