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Waiting for Heaven: Freedom from the Incurable Addiction to Self
Are you tempted beyond your ability to resist? We come into the world relentlessly narcissistic, resisting the kind of rigorous self-examination that reveals what is ugly in us and what is our impact on others. Too often, we live with our felt well-being as our priority concern, and so we continue, incurably addicted to ourselves and powerless to resist whatever temptations promise the sense of instant happiness we seek. The result includes addictions -drugs, legal or illegal; -food, its compulsive consumption; -sex, both legitimate, illegitimate, and perverted expressions; -money, to the pleasures and convenience and power money can buy; -influence, self-satisfying difference-making pleasure; -recognition, respect that provides personal significance; -and dozens of addictions to other sources of satisfaction that desperate souls crave. Could Heaven Possibly Matter to My Life Now? There is no question that addictions soil our souls, eventually taking control of our lives. The energy and motivation needed to serve the cause of Christ gets badly short-changed. That’s the bad news. Here’s the good news. Biblical Christianity provides a way to rise up from this Waiting! Learning to eagerly wait for the Lord’s return is essential to overcoming the root demand beneath all addictions. But the choice to wait is easy to state but hard to make because arranging for a temporary and counterfeit experience quiets the demand of our tired and thirsty souls. While there is no path to walk that eliminates the struggle to resist temptation we can be moving into greater freedom from it every day. As we learn to wait eagerly for heaven when all our longings will be fully and forever satisfied, we will be inclined to live for one central to make this life work as we want it to. Two things will then One, we will find ourselves driven by self-centeredness, by an addictive concern for our own felt well-being; Two, whatever either numbs our discontent with things as they are or provides a convincing sense of satisfaction for our deeply felt longings will lead us toward addictions of any available variety, all fueled by a core addiction to self. Waiting for heaven to provide everything our souls yearn for, demanding nothing now, frees us to love well now, to delight God and to be there for others, requiring nothing in return. The result? Joy! The satisfaction of living and loving like Jesus.
140 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 14, 2020
78 people are currently reading
1233 people want to read
About the author
Larry Crabb
113 books238 followersLawrence J. Crabb Jr.
Larry Crabb is a well-known Christian psychologist, conference and seminar speaker, Bible teacher, and author of more than 25 books—including his most recent, When God’s Ways Make No Sense and two Gold Medallion award-winners Inside Out and Understanding People. He is also the founder/director of NewWay Ministries & most recently his "legacy ministry", LargerStory.com. In addition to various other speaking and teaching opportunities, Crabb offers a week-long School of Spiritual Direction held each year here at The Cove and the Glen Eyrie in CO. He currently is scholar-in-residence at Colorado Christian University. Larry and his wife of 50 years, Rachael, reside near Charlotte, N.C.
Larry Crabb is a well-known Christian psychologist, conference and seminar speaker, Bible teacher, and author of more than 25 books—including his most recent, When God’s Ways Make No Sense and two Gold Medallion award-winners Inside Out and Understanding People. He is also the founder/director of NewWay Ministries & most recently his "legacy ministry", LargerStory.com. In addition to various other speaking and teaching opportunities, Crabb offers a week-long School of Spiritual Direction held each year here at The Cove and the Glen Eyrie in CO. He currently is scholar-in-residence at Colorado Christian University. Larry and his wife of 50 years, Rachael, reside near Charlotte, N.C.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 21, 2020
Another great book from Larry Crabb. He continues to explore the concepts of thirst, relational sin, and the importance of the Trinity. I was initially concerned that he would encourage a passive waiting, though I should know his writing well enough at this point to understand he wouldn’t stop there. I was particularly grateful for chapter 10, which he titled “when the Trinity came alive, in me.” I agree with his statement that the exact center of the gospel is to live in the loving relationship with the Trinity that the father, son, and spirit all currently enjoy with one another.
August 14, 2021
I cannot recommend this book enough. Don’t be fooled by the title. It’s neither a sappy sugar-coated book about Heaven, nor is it a boring psychological book about the addictions we typically hear about. Larry Crabb is a deep theological thinker that is able to put those thoughts on a shelf low enough we can all get to them. The writing is clear, honest, humble, and helpful. This book will both reveal who you are and encourage you in the process. I highly recommend this to all Christians.
July 29, 2020
I appreciate Dr. Larry Crabb's insights into the intersection of Scripture and his inner being. Often forgotten or completely ignored in the moralistic, therapeutic deism found in so many churches in our culture, is the pervasive New Testament truth that we are saved in hope; a future and sure hope of the consummation of God's redemptive purpose.
For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope, for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it (Rom 8:24-25 NASB)
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. . . . fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ (1 Pet 1:3-5, 13b).
As Christians living in this fallen world now living in between the already (the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ) and the not yet (when we we see, know, and enjoy Jesus Christ to the fullest measure), we know only the "first fruits" of the Spirit and look forward to the complete satisfaction and fulfillment of beholding Christ and being glorified with Him. In the 'here and now' there is still a sense off unfulfilled longing that we can either attempt to fill by lesser and counterfeit satisfactions (overt sin or more acceptable relational sin - a sense of entitlement that we deserve and can demand our will be done) or we can recognize our deep desire that only Christ can fulfill, now in part and then in full. Knowing the surpassing value of Christ, we can resist temptation and kill sin in the flesh and begin to love and Jesus loved and loves. Waiting For Heaven: Freedom From The Incurable Addiction To Self addresses this conflict ("the fight of faith"), and it points us to loving as Jesus loves instead of expecting others to love us.
For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope, for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it (Rom 8:24-25 NASB)
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. . . . fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ (1 Pet 1:3-5, 13b).
As Christians living in this fallen world now living in between the already (the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ) and the not yet (when we we see, know, and enjoy Jesus Christ to the fullest measure), we know only the "first fruits" of the Spirit and look forward to the complete satisfaction and fulfillment of beholding Christ and being glorified with Him. In the 'here and now' there is still a sense off unfulfilled longing that we can either attempt to fill by lesser and counterfeit satisfactions (overt sin or more acceptable relational sin - a sense of entitlement that we deserve and can demand our will be done) or we can recognize our deep desire that only Christ can fulfill, now in part and then in full. Knowing the surpassing value of Christ, we can resist temptation and kill sin in the flesh and begin to love and Jesus loved and loves. Waiting For Heaven: Freedom From The Incurable Addiction To Self addresses this conflict ("the fight of faith"), and it points us to loving as Jesus loves instead of expecting others to love us.
February 24, 2021
I appreciated the author’s transparency about his struggles. Life experience came through clearly page-after-page.
There were certainly some nuggets of wisdom in this book, but overall, I didn’t finish it because it was enthralling in terms of aiding in my spiritual growth. I felt a sense of obligation to finish this read mainly because it felt like I was reading what might be close to some of the last words of a man facing cancer. I felt a sense of sorrow for the author and that he just wanted someone to hear his heart one more time. I sought more to take away any lessons from life experience he desired to pass along in his ramblings rather than cleave so hard to finding what the book was titled to be about. Reading this seemed as though I sat on a park bench for a few hours and listened to a stranger whom might not pass by this way again. In reading on, I simply sought to honor him with my attention and be present in a moment of his precious vapor known as life.
There were certainly some nuggets of wisdom in this book, but overall, I didn’t finish it because it was enthralling in terms of aiding in my spiritual growth. I felt a sense of obligation to finish this read mainly because it felt like I was reading what might be close to some of the last words of a man facing cancer. I felt a sense of sorrow for the author and that he just wanted someone to hear his heart one more time. I sought more to take away any lessons from life experience he desired to pass along in his ramblings rather than cleave so hard to finding what the book was titled to be about. Reading this seemed as though I sat on a park bench for a few hours and listened to a stranger whom might not pass by this way again. In reading on, I simply sought to honor him with my attention and be present in a moment of his precious vapor known as life.
April 4, 2021
(NOTE: I'm stingy with stars. For me 2 stars means a good book or a B. 3 stars means a very good book or a B+. 4 stars means an outstanding book or an A {only about 5% of the books I read merit 4 stars}. 5 stars means an all time favorite or an A+ {Only one of 400 or 500 books rates this!).
The great news is that I can listen to a book a day at work. The bad news is that I can’t keep up with decent reviews. So I’m going to give up for now and just rate them. I hope to come back to some of the most significant things I listen to and read them and then post a review.
The great news is that I can listen to a book a day at work. The bad news is that I can’t keep up with decent reviews. So I’m going to give up for now and just rate them. I hope to come back to some of the most significant things I listen to and read them and then post a review.
October 27, 2020
I read this book w/ my small group & felt like it was a repeat of the other books we’ve read by this author. Same message, different book title. If you’re going to read one book by Larry Crabb, read Inside Out.
June 19, 2020
This book is really changed me in a positive way!
August 28, 2020
[Note: This book was provided free of charge by Adams PR Group in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.]
In reading a book like this, one has to separate one's feelings about the author's own achievements according to his aims and purposes from what he is actually saying. And while there is a lot about the writer's approach and lack of self-awareness that really grated on me when I was reading this book, at the same time there is still a lot to appreciate as well that I think is well worth keeping in mind. And that can be difficult to do, but in a case like this it is worthwhile because this is the sort of book that can so easily offend a reader because the author is talking about a subject that is intensely personal to all of us--our addiction to the self--and does so in a maladroit way that makes it all too easy for the reader to reject the writer as a hypocrite (which he is) rather than to take the worthwhile points that the author says to heart even if the author is unable or unwilling to do so.
This book is a bit more than 100 pages long and it is divided into three parts and fifteen chapters. The book begins with a foreword (misspelled as a forward in my copy), a prologue, an introduction, and a parable that are all designed to get the reader to think about how they think about themselves and about patience. After that the author talks about useful waiting (I), including self-addiction (1), Paul's cry of the heart in Romans 7 (2), a categorization of Christians (3), Moses (4) and his waiting (5), as well as foolish choices (6). After that the author discusses the difficult waiting that believers are sometimes called upon to do (II), including the struggle for self-control (7), whether self-control is possible and what it depends on (8), the passions that strength the power to wait (9), a rather mystical view of the Trinity that helps the author to wait for heaven (10), and the power of a vision (11). After that the author discusses about powerful waiting (III), with chapters on the pathway (12), the power of choice (13), the author's attempt to wrap up his book (14), and a discussion about the glory that is in Christ and not in ourselves (15), after which there is an afterword, acknowledgements, and notes.
Indeed, the hypocrisy of the author is instructive in that it demonstrates how hard it is to get out of our own way when we are trying to encourage moral growth and development in the other. The author claims not to judge before complacently dividing Christians up into three categories and telling "complacent" Christians that they are in the suburbs of Laodicea, which most people (myself included) would consider to be judging, to say nothing of his left-wing approach to social justice as being an aspect of godly relationality. Calling your potential reading audience potential racists would certainly qualify as being judgmental to most readers, I would suspect. And then the author demonstrates not only the usual obsession that readers have with their other writings but even an obsession with how long this book is getting because he did not plot it out effectively but draws attention to the chapters he adds beyond his expectations. Someone who is as concerned as the author is about himself and about his legitimacy as a writer has no business telling other people to be less focused on themselves. Physician, heal yourself. But if the author serves as an example of what not to be when trying to get over yourself, it can be of assistance still.
In reading a book like this, one has to separate one's feelings about the author's own achievements according to his aims and purposes from what he is actually saying. And while there is a lot about the writer's approach and lack of self-awareness that really grated on me when I was reading this book, at the same time there is still a lot to appreciate as well that I think is well worth keeping in mind. And that can be difficult to do, but in a case like this it is worthwhile because this is the sort of book that can so easily offend a reader because the author is talking about a subject that is intensely personal to all of us--our addiction to the self--and does so in a maladroit way that makes it all too easy for the reader to reject the writer as a hypocrite (which he is) rather than to take the worthwhile points that the author says to heart even if the author is unable or unwilling to do so.
This book is a bit more than 100 pages long and it is divided into three parts and fifteen chapters. The book begins with a foreword (misspelled as a forward in my copy), a prologue, an introduction, and a parable that are all designed to get the reader to think about how they think about themselves and about patience. After that the author talks about useful waiting (I), including self-addiction (1), Paul's cry of the heart in Romans 7 (2), a categorization of Christians (3), Moses (4) and his waiting (5), as well as foolish choices (6). After that the author discusses the difficult waiting that believers are sometimes called upon to do (II), including the struggle for self-control (7), whether self-control is possible and what it depends on (8), the passions that strength the power to wait (9), a rather mystical view of the Trinity that helps the author to wait for heaven (10), and the power of a vision (11). After that the author discusses about powerful waiting (III), with chapters on the pathway (12), the power of choice (13), the author's attempt to wrap up his book (14), and a discussion about the glory that is in Christ and not in ourselves (15), after which there is an afterword, acknowledgements, and notes.
Indeed, the hypocrisy of the author is instructive in that it demonstrates how hard it is to get out of our own way when we are trying to encourage moral growth and development in the other. The author claims not to judge before complacently dividing Christians up into three categories and telling "complacent" Christians that they are in the suburbs of Laodicea, which most people (myself included) would consider to be judging, to say nothing of his left-wing approach to social justice as being an aspect of godly relationality. Calling your potential reading audience potential racists would certainly qualify as being judgmental to most readers, I would suspect. And then the author demonstrates not only the usual obsession that readers have with their other writings but even an obsession with how long this book is getting because he did not plot it out effectively but draws attention to the chapters he adds beyond his expectations. Someone who is as concerned as the author is about himself and about his legitimacy as a writer has no business telling other people to be less focused on themselves. Physician, heal yourself. But if the author serves as an example of what not to be when trying to get over yourself, it can be of assistance still.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews