One of the goals we aim at is a blessed self-forgetfulness. Man is all too familiar with the annoying sin of self-infatuation. One man thinks of himself too highly, the other thinks of himself with loathing. But both of these men are simply spending too much time in the mirror. The first man has regular old pride. The latter has the ugly underbelly of pride. But it is the love of self just the same. You can even find a man in the middle of these two who knows he is not all that, and he knows he is not the worst creature to roam the planet. He says, “Well, I’m not much but I’m all I ever think about.” All three of these men are tempted to gaze at their own reflection forever and aye.

 This temptation to self-infatuation is doubled when you find yourself around others who are ahead of you on sanctification road. When David goes to battle Goliath like a man, two options press upon you. Trust God, forget yourself, and follow David to battle or don’t trust God, make the event about yourself, and go to feeling like a loser because you didn’t man up like David.

 

Christ came to deliver us from the love of self and baptize us in the waters of self-forgetfulness. One way to get on enjoying those waters is to sacrificially love the people around you, especially the members of your household and the saints. Spend yourself doing the work love requires and you will discover that you don’t have any energy left for all of that life-sucking self-centeredness. That kind of sacrificial love is something that only the Spirit of God can supply. And that love is exactly what the Father has given us through Christ.