M.O.M. The Importance of Self-Evaluation
| Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God - this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is... (Romans12:1-3) |
One of the habits that should be encouraged of all Christians, and the Church at large, is to do self-evaluation. Self-evaluation is the honest process of taking time to examine who we are, what we are doing, how we are living, and whether our lives are aligned with our Christian values and, above all, with the will of God. According to the above passage (Romans 12:1-3) self-evaluation should start with presenting our lives (bodies) as a living sacrifice, being transformed by the renewing of our minds, and thinking of ourselves with sober judgment.
Searching Questions
Self-evaluation invites each one of us to ask important questions: What are my strengths? Where do I need to grow? How do my words and actions affect other people? Am I living according to the values and principles I profess? And as a Church, are we growing? Are we doing what is expected of us -- to reach out to the world with the gospel and practical interventions? Are we moving forward? Are we stuck, and why?
Honest answers to these questions can help create awareness of our continuance dependence on God's grace and help. Self-evaluation therefore becomes an opportunity to allow God to transform us from within.
Self-evaluation also teaches us humility. Instead of asking only, "What is wrong with others?" we learn to ask, "What needs to change in me?" "What should we be doing different as a Church or as a congregation?"
Self-evaluation allows us to review our commitments and ask whether we have fulfilled them faithfully. It encourages us to acknowledge mistakes rather than blame others and to take responsibility for the consequences of our choices.
As Christians, we are called not simply to evaluate the world around us but also to allow God to examine our own hearts and lives. The question is not only, "What needs to change around me?" but also, "What needs to change within me?" Therefore, the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 13:5 are profound: "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves..."
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Hey, my name is Amon Kasambala, a husband to Tiba for 31 years this year, a father to Eddie (26 years old) and Victor (18 years old). I am the Moderator of the General Assembly of the UPCSA and a Senior Minister at the Glenwood Presbyterian Church in Durban.
