Volume 26, Issue 8
WisconsinChristianNews.com
Page 19
Seeing Our Reflection In God’s Eyes
By William F. Holland Jr. January 2026
rate their intelligence, logic, grammar, and personality far above average. Ac- cording to these studies, those who per- formed at the lowest levels were convinced they were highly intelligent and believed those around them perceived them as bright and clever. It’s thought that confidence is so high on our self-es- teem list that people would rather pretend to be smart than risk being embarrassed or labeled mentally inadequate. In other words, the world is not short of people who are know-it-alls about everything, be-
the same as developing and learning how to be like Jesus. Research attributes this attitude to “metacognition,” the inability to honestly analyze one’s own thoughts and personality. Those with limited knowledge in a domain suffer a dual burden: Not only do they reach mistaken conclusions and make regrettable errors, but their incom- petence robs them of the ability to realize it. Why do people think they know more than they do? They are often driven by a desire for respect and admiration and the need to appear smarter than the people around them. Why do people over- estimate their competence? This refers to the difference between what people think they know and what they really know. I’m reminded of the old saying, “The more I learn, the more I dis- cover I do not know,” which is a more modest way of perceiving our- selves and life in general. So what does this have to do with our Chris- tian life? Everything. If we see our- selves as having no personal faults and that God does not care about our sins, we are living in an illusion that is preventing us from pleasing Him. If we believe we are doing everything right, we disregard our need to repent, and thus are drifting fur- ther away from God every day. This twisted thinking is a self-inflicted decep- tion that rejects the responsibility of ad- mitting we are sinners who desperately need God every moment. The Apostle Paul speaks about this in Romans 12:3. “For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of themselves more highly than they ought, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.” Dr. Holland is an ordained and licensed minister, certified chaplain, and Christian author. Read more about the Christian life and contact information at: BillyHollandMinistries.com
We have been dis- cussing the need for Christians to be con- tinuously willing to ex- amine their biased opinions about life and
the Bible. Remember the person who boldly declared, “I am what I am, and this is what I will always be.” It’s sad to imag- ine how many individuals actually feel this way about what they believe and who they are. Human nature is stubborn and sneaky. We seldom know people on the inside, as the conscience often views life as a card game, holding certain cards close so that no one can see them. However, humans fail to compre- hend that the way we live exposes what we believe we are hiding. We know what is in the well will come up in the bucket, and being secre- tive with the world does not matter near as much as ignoring and being in denial with God. So, why and how do we refuse to recognize and deal with our weak- nesses? Simple; We ignore and deny the conviction of the Holy Spirit’s call to step back and see ourselves the way God sees us. Most everyone has a deliberate hatred to change, and one as- pect of the agonizing attempt to discover and re-arrange who we really are, is a psychological problem called The Dun- ning-Kruger effect. It’s a cognitive bias in which people become confused and wrongly overestimate their perception, knowledge, or ability in a specific area. This can apply to any subject and is ba- sically a lack of understanding reality along with an inflated attitude of pride, hindering them from being a reliable and respected source of truth.
cause they are insecure about every- thing. I Peter 5:5-6 says, “In the same way, you who are younger, submit your- selves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one an- other, as God opposes the proud, but shows favor to the humble. Humble your- selves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time.” Peter references Proverbs 3:34 to show how the choice to be humble is not just about human relationships. God’s natural response to pride is to oppose, but His re- action to humility is to reward with grace. Those who are considered brilliant can also be plagued with this problem, as having intelligence and knowledge is not
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