We are selfish creatures. Plain and simple. For example, whenever I go on a trip, there are inevitably photos taken of me and my friends doing fun stuff. When I go back to look at the album, all I look at is myself and whether I look good or bad. It is comical really. Rachel and I will be going through an album of us, and one photo I’ll say “I look fat in that picture” and the next she’ll say “ewww, I don’t look good in that picture.” The funny thing is, in my insecurity, she thinks nothing is wrong with me—in fact quite the opposite—and in her self-image, I think she is gorgeous when she thinks she looks like she crawled out of the bottom of a Port-O-Pot. Pride and insecurity are two sides of the same coin. When it comes to our bodies, we have been so bombarded by culture that all of us worry about the flab around our waist and the acne on our face—even more so for those who are the prettiest of the pretty. When it comes to our personality, we all think we are right and good while everyone else is doing something wrong. We are so consumed by all of our good qualities and so obsessed with all of our unimportant qualities.

Girls, your mind is so filled with insecurities about who likes you, who likes your body, and who you like, that you are reduced to worry-warts and gossipers. The vanity of our culture has taught the girls that putting other people down is the key to success, that gossiping is nothing but a hobby, that makeup is needed in every circumstance, and that the clothes you wear will determine your worth. Girls, hear my plea that the guys that are worth your time care about your character and not your body while the guys that aren’t worth your time care about your body and not your character. Moreover, you don’t need the approval of men. In fact, Jesus came so that you can live without it.

 Guys (myself included), you are so full of competition and pride. You see everyone by what they can offer you and if someone doesn’t do it your way, they are doing it wrong. Guys, we think that women want us to be macho and sensitive, an Abercrombie model and a poet, when really what they need is a spiritual leader that will stand up in this pride-plagued society and lead in servant hood. Guys, we are so selfish that if we like a girl and someone else does as well, they are our enemy. Look at our disease! We argue and fight with each other for days over stupid things like whether Qdoba or Chipotle is better when we don’t even take two seconds to consider or pray for one another. If we could just think before we speak and pray before we act, we would know peace with everyone.
                                                                                                                            
Pride and insecurity are spiritual cancer. Pride and insecurity keep us from loving God because we are blinded by our self. It keeps us from loving our self as God loves us. That said, I think the full realization and experience of God’s love and grace is the cure. Similarly, the pain and trials we go through are the chemotherapy. We need God’s love to take our eyes off ourselves and others and place it on someone worthwhile. Let’s stop comparing ourselves and look to the incomparable one. When we have encountered the love of God, we no longer need the approval of others, we no longer need to be right, and we no longer need to think about ourselves.

Imitating the Humility of Christ
We need to instead have that same mindset of Christ. Jesus did not be prideful in his power and smite us all to smithereens. No. Instead, Jesus deserted his comfortable and honorable throne to become human. We cannot fathom how dishonoring it is to go from God to man. Imagine how much you would like to be a barnacle bottom feeder. But not only did he become human, he became a human servant. He made himself nothing. He sacrificed his personal comfort to spend over 3 decades on this painful and fallen planet serving the lowest in society. But hold on, he went even further than servanthood! Jesus humbled himself, even to death on a cross: the most despicable and dishonorable death imagined. Jesus lived a life of getting lower. When we get lower and lower and give up more and more of our self, we are becoming more like Jesus. Inversely, when we try to strive to advance our self and continue to reach higher and higher, we are being just like the enemy!

Because of Jesus’ great sacrifice, God the Father exalted him higher than anything and everything. Jesus went to lowest only to be exalted to the highest. If we will just humble our foolish and unworthy selves, God will exalt us into glorious and joyful purpose. It is not about getting everything we desire, it is about giving God everything He deserves.

If you have any encouragement for knowing Jesus or any comfort from his love, or any experience with the Spirit, or any tenderness and compassion, then pass on what you have been given and be at peace with everyone. Share God’s love with them. Do nothing out of selfish ambition. This is the ultimate goal. If we can just separate our selfishness from our actions, we will find an uncommon joy. Only the humble are used by God. It doesn’t matter if you are black or white, healthy or hurt, intelligent or stupid… what matters is whether you are humble or not..

We must identify the pride in ourselves by the Holy Spirit and root it out. I have written so much more about that here: Your Kingdom Come, My Kingdom Gone

Do Everything without Complaining
We complain so much. I complain so much. My worst cause of complain is food. I complain so much about food and when I am hungry. But I get food whenever I want it and I have a million varieties to choose from. How can I complain when so many people that God loves just as much as me are starving? I simply sit back and laugh at my Hangry-ness (hungry + angry) because I am about as mature as a little child. Fortunately, there is grace for me (and you). Therefore, my dear blog readers, in response to God’s incredible patience and grace with our complaining, let’s continue to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. God will work through us and fulfill his purpose through us if we will only be humble—delightfully humble. Once we become humble, we find that we have gotten ridden of our self: the very thing that was making us unhappy all of our lives. Let’s stop grumbling and arguing with each other; let’s stop gossiping and thinking of ourselves first so we can become “blameless and pure children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” We will shine like stars as we hold firmly to the word of life. Then we can boast when Jesus comes back that we did not run or labor in vain.

Even if we are in trials and pain for the rest of our lives, I will gladly be poured out and rejoice with all of you. So let’s rejoice together.