Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Self-Book

So I like most everyone my age have a profile on Facebook. I enjoy the easy connection this gives me with people that I otherwise might not know much about. Girls I went to high school with. Guys I have known since I was a child. College students who have moved on with their lives and now have lives that being me hope. It even helps me with connection with people who are in my everyday life. I can go on and send a message and not worry if the email address I have for them is right.

However it (like Christmas cards) can do a whammy on my view of self. I was reminded of this sin of self so many times over the past few weeks. This might be one of the greatest sins we could have. Thinking too highly of our selves...or thinking too much about ourselves period. I admit that I have moments where myself is what is on my mind. I may cloak them in thoughts of others but ultimately and too often I really think it is all about me.

I am reading the Great Divorce by CS Lewis right now. In an exchange about humans the Spirit says, "They sink lower...become interested in their own personalities and then in nothing but their own reputations" (pg 85) That steps on my toes. Sometimes I even try to trick myself into thinking that my reputation in also God's this is true but when I am honest I sometimes care more about my own.

So this has got me thinking about moving higher instead of lower. So I wrote this statement as a prayer.... "Could I move higher...become so interested in who God is and then in nothing but His reputation!"

Lewis goes on to say that self centered living as a casket of death an... "airless, careless...impervious to all of love's arrow's and impervious to love it's self.

Lord, please let selfishness not be my casket but may I find ME by loosing ME and gaining YOU the LIFE! (Luke 9:24)

Like the great song Hosanna says....
"Take my heart and make it pure.....everything I am for your kingdom's causes!"

5 comments:

Tiffany said...

Yeah for the post!!! paul and I were just having this conv. last week. I have really struggled with self esteem so much more since I joined FB. Glad I am not the only one to have this struggle. I already told Paul that I think FB is one of my lenten fasts.

Tiffany said...

One more comment. Lewis is AMAZING! I am always encouraged to think "higher" when I read him.

Mandy said...

Facebook totally makes us all more self-centered, and I think I fight that urge every day when I'm on there. The "status" alone is something I've thought a lot about lately...why would everyone care to know what I'm doing or thinking every hour? I change mine a lot, but I can't imagine being a twitter user and having it change constantly...

It definitely messes w/ my self-esteem in lots of ways too...one in particular w/ a guy who just hasn't been honest with me and I'm assuming (this is what we do w/ facebook profile info...we assume things) he's dating someone else. It's hard. But I'm dealing with it.

Thanks for the reminder to think of Him rather than him. Love you.

Unknown said...

I have purposely chosen not to join FB. For me (not saying it is for others--just being transparent here) it would be deadly. I KNOW it would be a temptation to allow it to suck my time--time that I should be devoting to prayer/Bible study (the computer does this for me) And also the whole "status" thing... Do I think I'm that important that others want to know what I'm doing throughout the day??? I'm truly not dissing FB here. Just saying that for me it would be bad and I'm trying to resist temptation in that area...

Love Lewis too, BTW...

Tracy said...

Chantell-I stumbled across your blog a few months ago and have gone back and read everything. You have such a way with your writing.

Just wanted to say hi and let you know I was thinking about you and praying for you today.