Self-Pity is Our Worst Enemy

“Self-pity is our worst enemy, and if we yield to it, we can never do anything wise in this world.” This quote is powerful in itself but takes on even more meaning when we consider the author. As a reminder, Helen Keller faced the profound challenges of being both blind and deaf from the age of 19 months, leaving her initially unable to communicate with the world around her. Her life was marked by extraordinary effort, persistence, and optimism to help break through the barriers of isolation and learn to connect with others.
 
In short, Keller had plenty to legitimately complain about for her whole life. Still, she fought self-pity in the name of a better approach to each day. 
 
To be clear, this isn’t meant to be a guilt trip for the rest of us, who find ourselves with the occasional “Why me?” situation or season. Now I’m not saying you should never feel down. We’re humans, not robots. 
 
What’s interesting, though, is her connection between self-pity and wisdom. Think about it—how often have you made a stellar decision while in the throes of a “woe is me” moment? I’m guessing not often. Still, Keller’s quote emphasizes that self-pity traps us in a cycle of negativity and typically prevents us from acting with clarity or purpose. Self-pity causes us to focus inward on our struggles, blinding us to opportunities for growth, problem-solving, or serving others. 
 
Wisdom, in contrast, requires perspective, resilience, and a willingness to move beyond personal pain to make thoughtful, impactful decisions. By rejecting self-pity, Keller argued, we free ourselves to engage with life’s challenges in a constructive and meaningful way, enabling us to pursue wisdom and purpose.
 
For us as believers, there is a faith ingredient in the mix as well. Being able to look beyond a day’s trial and trouble to the Lord’s promises is the path to purpose, hope, and strength beyond ourselves. We remember his promise that our challenges can be part of a greater plan. In this clarity, we find encouragement and the Spirit’s promised guidance and wisdom. 
 
So the next time you feel like the mayor of Pity City, push your way through the self-pity until you gain the clarity of mind to look up and find wisdom from your Creator. His wisdom will chart a path through the challenges of life, ministry, and self. 
 
“Deep, solemn optimism, it seems to me,” Keller wrote, “should spring from this firm belief in the presence of God in the individual; not a remote, unapproachable governor of the universe, but a God who is very near every one of us, who is present not only in earth, sea, and sky, but also in every pure and noble impulse of our hearts, ‘the source and center of all minds, their only point of rest.”

NPM Staff Culture