Book Review: The Search for Significance

As most of you know, I am book-a-holic. There are so many wonderful things about life that I want to know about, therefore I read. This year, one book in particular has had an exciting impact on me personally and my ministry. I studied The Search for Significance by Robert McGee for the Biblical Counseling 101 class at DTS over the Winterterm.

The Search for Significance is the perfect example of blending sound theology with another academic discipline. It is a counseling book, but based upon sound Christian truth. It deals with the psychological realties and hang-ups of our day.

I am so tired of the abuse of terms like “insecurity”. We tend to label people that whom we don’t like. Even the Christian community doesn’t answer the obvious question of “What are we to be secure in?” People foolishly find their identity and thus security in anything from the fact that they started on the high school football team, are the prettiest of the three girls they hang around, work 12 hour days, make more money than their neighbor, have kids who don’t cuss as much as the other parent’s kids at church, or simply that they think they are cool.

Here is the reality of my life. I am not super cool and in fact have arrived at a current state of dorkiness. If I was not a minister I would be a generic white business man. I pimp Polo and Banana Republic, roll in a 1996 Buick LeSabre, and my next major purchase will be a minivan for my wife. I don’t understand most of the “artistic” films and can’t really keep up with the deep post-modern talk that goes on at seminaries and pastor’s conferences. I am what I am. If my security in myself was found in something lame like my “inner self”, or my identity was defined by how good of a football player I was at Ryan High School in 94-95 (we went 3-7 and then 2-8, I was thrown two passes, caught one for 6 yards and dropped the other one which hit me in the hands with no one ten yards around me against the defending state champs) then I would be in trouble. I am not insecure because my identity is not connected to my performance.

The Search for Significance identifies the major psychological problems of our day and applies powerful Biblical truth to them in order to show the correct way to think. He first deals with “The Performance Trap” which is characterized by feeling good about ourselves only when we reach certain performance standards or applying those standards to others. Those who struggle with “The Performance Trap” have a fear of failure, a drive to succeed, and tend to manipulate others to achieve success, they can also cowardly withdrawal from healthy risks. God’s answer to “The Performance Trap” is His justification. God has forgiven my sins and given me the righteousness of Christ, therefore I am pleasing to the Father. At my very essence, as a son of God, I am good enough. Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The second of four psychological problems is the “Approval Addict” who feels that he/she must be approved by certain others in order to feel good about themselves. This person fears rejection and is oversensitive to criticism; they will withdrawal in order to avoid disapproval. God’s answer to the “Approval Addict” is reconciliation, which means that even though I was hostile and alienated from God I am now forgiven because of the power of God’s grace through faith in Christ Jesus. I have a relationship with God and am accepted by God. God has accepted me; therefore I don’t have to do tricks to get people to approve of me. Colossians 1:21-22 says, “And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach.”

The third psychological problem is “The Blame Game” which is when one fails or views one that fails as unworthy of love and instead deserving of punishment. These people fear punishment, they try to punish others, and their drive is to avoid failure. God’s answer to this problem is propitiation, which means that through the death of Christ God’s wrath has been satisfied, and thus we are deeply loved by God. Justice has been satisfied, therefore I don’t have to live in fear nor punish others to enact justice. I am loved therefore I am able to love and I don’t have to be the judge of others. I John 4:9-11 says, “By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”

The final psychological problem addressed by McGee is simply “Shame”. This is marked by feelings of hopelessness and an attitude that says, “I am what I am and I cannot change.” Shame is also marked by inferiority, passivity, and loss of creativity, isolation, and withdrawal from others. God’s answer for shame is regeneration, which means that when we place our faith in Christ we become a new creation. It does not make any sense to believe that you cannot change when you are changed! John 3:3-6 says, “Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ Nicodemus said to Him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?’ Jesus answered, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”

This book must be on the self of every Christian Counselor, Pastor, or Small Group Leader. At Grace Community Church we will call our Community Group leaders “Pastors”, because they will pastor the people in their group. The Search for Significance will be required reading for all our Community Group Pastors.