There’s a popular idea that has been making the rounds on Instagram. It has been recycled and reshared in many formats from reels with heartfelt voiceovers to posts with compelling color schemes. The viral sentiment behind these posts goes like this: The only time you should look back is to see how far you’ve come.

I’ve had several friends post this trending message on social media. And I’ve been tempted to share it too. What’s not to love about this seemingly encouraging thought? At first glance, this quote is like a warm, fuzzy, affirming hug. But dig a little deeper and the message doesn’t hold water. The sentiment is at best self-congratulatory. It’s essentially about patting oneself on the back.

Yikes, I know I should probably go less fire-and-brimstone on this. It’s probably harmless after all, right? Instagram posts don’t need disclaimers proclaiming that no humans or animals were exploited in the production of content. But here’s the thing: We are in combat with an Enemy who is far from harmless. He is experienced at packaging pride so it seems like confidence. And he is adept at nixing God from the picture so insidiously that it doesn’t seem like we’ve omitted God but that we’ve simply included ourselves.

Let’s dive a little deeper into this trending thought that the only time you should look back is to see how far you’ve come.

As children of God are we called to look back? In Psalm 77:11 David says, “I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old.”

We are absolutely called to remember. The Israelites were encouraged to recall their plight as slaves in Egypt and to remember God’s rescue, provision, and protection. It’s good to recollect the journey we have been on too, to trace the valleys and the mountains and the plain old flat terrain we’ve traversed. But we don’t look back to see how far along we’ve come. Instead, we look back to recall the Lord’s faithfulness and provision and how He has kept His promises to us. It’s all about Him. It’s always about Him.

When we make it about us, we forget to give God His rightful place on the throne, at the center, as the foundation, as the cornerstone, and as the Alpha and the Omega.

In 1 Corinthians 15, we hear from a guy who had undoubtedly come a long, long way from where he started. I’m talking of the apostle Paul who spent years hunting down and arresting new believers. After he met Jesus on the road to Damascus, Paul does a 180.

Paul looks back at his pre-Christian life and this is what he says: “For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.” (1 Corinthians 15: 9)

Paul’s backstory was not pretty. But he didn’t look back just to say, “Hey, look how far I’ve come.” He looks back and says, “But by the grace of God I am what I am…” (1 Corinthians 15: 10)

“But by the grace of God..”

In culture today that is an odd and archaic turn of phrase. But Paul says it with complete authenticity. And we can too.

Your past may be riddled with hurtful experiences. Maybe there’s an “old avatar” of you that you’re not exactly proud of. There is no doubt that you have come a long, long way from there. You are a new creation in Christ. You have been transformed from the inside out. You now have completely different passions and pursuits. From the sinking sand, you now stand on the Rock of Ages.

But may we remember that it is only by the grace of God that we are who we are and where we are today.

The next time we reshare a seemingly positive, affirming message on social media, perhaps we can pause and ask ourselves if we are lifting up ourselves as the heroes of our stories or lifting up the One who has completely rewritten our stories. Instead of proclaiming, “Look how far I’ve come” it would be far more accurate to say, “Look how far the Lord has brought me.”

May we remember to declare, “But by the grace of God I am what I am…”

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