Unquestionably, selfies are one of the most prominent phenomena of the 21st century. Studies show that 60,000 selfies are uploaded to Instagram every minute and that the average person will post more than 25,000 selfies in their lifetime. Now keep in mind that the average person’s lifespan is approximately 27,000 days, that means that they will post almost one selfie per day over their entire life.
The selfie phenomenon is reflective of a culture that has been taught to believe that the most important thing in life is to “be yourself, to believe in yourself and to trust your heart”. To a certain degree I agree, after all, God has uniquely created every one of us; there are no two persons alike. But what happens when the obsession with self becomes the ultimate goal? The result is a generation of people whose moral decisions are based upon how they feel, who are addicted to fame, entitled, and who feel compelled to exaggerate their realities. The real tragedy with the selfie generation however, is that the more their lives become the center of their existence, the less happy and unsatisfied they become.
Read: Philippians 2: 2-11
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. – Philippians 2: 3-4 NIV
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name … Philippians 2:9 NIV
What’s fascinating is that throughout the Bible we discover that God wants us to be the best version of ourselves that we can possibly be, but not merely for the sake of ourselves but rather for the sake of others. The problem is that the best version of ourselves requires humility because without humility we become people who are self-centered, self-promoting, and arrogant.
According to Mother Teresa, humility is the mother of all virtues, yet it is so antithetical to the concept of virtue of today’s generation. The problem is that most people misinterpret humility, they see humility as weakness, they see humility as being unimportant, impoverished, or having low self-esteem. But when it comes to Biblical humility nothing can be further from the truth. No one exhibited more humility than Jesus yet he was the greatest, most gifted, powerful, and wealthiest person to ever walk the earth. The dichotomy is that Jesus’ greatness and might were not an impediment to humility but rather the vehicle through which he dispensed humility. Biblical humility is to use who you are and what you have to look out for the interests of others. As C.S. Lewis once said, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less.”
THINK ABOUT IT:
Humility is to “be yourself” while at the same time valuing others above yourself.
If Jesus humbled himself, I believe that we ought to humble ourselves as well.
What will you do to become the best version of yourself in 2020?
How will you use what you have and who you’re becoming to value others?
PRAY:
Dear father who are in heaven, thank you for a New Year. As I start 2020, I pray for your wisdom, your guidance and above all your mercy and grace to do your will. This year I want to change my way of thinking; I want to change the way I approach life. Dear God I want to be the best possible version of myself that I can be. I don’t want to be the best version of myself for personal ambition, I want to be the best I can be in order to serve you and to be a person of influence in 2020. I know culture has changed, I understand we are living in a selfie generation. But Lord, I pray that when people see my selfie, that they would see a reflection of Jesus in me. I pray that you would grant me the wisdom to have a heart of service like Jesus had, I pray that I would love others like Jesus did, I pray that I become a person of influence for generations to come like Jesus was, but more importantly I pray for the humility that Jesus had. In 2020 I want to think less about me and more about you and the things that matter to you. Thank you Lord for this new opportunity to impact your Kingdom and above everything, I thank you for Jesus Christ in whose name I pray, Amen.