Well, another summer serving at Camp Lone Star has ended and Training Camp for the Race has come and gone. I am now waiting for this next grand adventure to begin, counting down the days until I leave (26 days) and you know what I cannot get out of my mind?
Myself.
That’s right: ME. I spent this entire summer learning and teaching the message listed as this blog title, and it has yet to truly take hold. Why? Because focusing on myself is great. Loving myself feels good and making things about what I want is easy.
The “it’s all about me” lie is a brilliant scheme of our enemy. When I focus on myself, I begin to indulge in my nature. My sinful and self-focused nature. When I focus on myself, I take my eyes off of the cross. If the cross is the anchor of my hope, the purpose of each day I live and the reason I am going on the World Race, then the “it’s all about me” mindset is like cancer in my walk with Jesus. A selfish focus will destroy every part of the ministry I have been called to, on or off the field.
This is a slippery slope. For example, I am about embark on a journey serving around the world, in unfamiliar and uncomfortable settings. Yet my desire to post on social media a bunch of really awesome pictures is unreal. Why? Because a couple of double-tapped hearts would boost my self-esteem and make me feel “good” about this incredibly hard journey.
Training Camp taught me what I already expected: this is going to be a freaking difficult year. Physical exhaustion, extreme spiritual warfare, lack of comfort, lack of hygiene, and complete unfamiliarity are just a few of the normals I will be living in for the next year. I don’t say that to boast about strength or elevate myself, I say that because I am afraid. I want this reality to truly set in for me and for you: The World Race is not glamorous and it is not about me.
You and I are called to model a savior that gave up everything for us, including himself.
Mark 10:45: “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Jesus coined the statement: “it’s not about me.” The blood stained ground in the Garden of Gethsemane is a testament to this. A self-focused individual does not experience the level of stress that includes sweating blood. “Not my will, but your will be done” (Luke 22:42).
I invite you to join me in this journey: The journey of leaving yourself behind. A journey where your mind is transformed and renewed, rather than conformed. A journey where, in humility, we will count others more significant than ourselves.
For me, it begins with social media and changing my mindset when I choose to post. But that is only the beginning. Where does this journey begin for you?
It’s not about treating myself poorly. It does not involve isolation or depression. And it is not about thinking less of myself, but thinking of myself less.
You know what the best part is? In this selfless journey, we are given fullness of joy! Though this year on the World Race will be difficult and strenuous, it will be one of the greatest years of my life because it can’t, and it won’t, be about me.
Imagine a life without the bother of social media likes or comparison. A life without the weight of performance. A life focused on a Savior that knows you by name. Jesus paid it all on the cross, and He set the example for us to follow. And He freely gives us the freedom to follow Him. It’s not about me, it’s about Jesus.
