Dead to self: what does that mean/look like?
The book speaks about organizing our life around God instead of self… “we reject the preeminence of what we want, when we want it.” It’s an exchange of the way I see things for the way God sees things. The way I act for the way He would act, it’s the thought of WWJD; What Would Jesus Do (say, think, act, respond). If God were in my situation right now, what would Terry do? What would Jesus Do? How far apart are those answers?
The chapter goes on to explore a little bit of what that kind of life would look like. When one is dead to themselves our reactions to the negative things that come our way can be minimized. That insult, bad social behavior, insulting comment won’t be able to control us or send us down a rabbit hole of self-defeating thoughts and behaviors. My kids’ behaviors are not a source of public embarrassment and as such I won’t embarrass them in public either. BUT it will get taken care of in private!! Again not because the child embarrassed me, rather because whatever behavior is never going to be okay, and so it will stop. I like the St Francis quote, “Wear the world like a loose garment, which touches us in a few places and there lightly.” I could insert my “It’s a Great Day to be Dead.” sermon here. A dead person doesn’t give a reaction in these moments. Regardless of what is flying around us, there is a capacity to recognize that all is well with my soul.
Another dead-self-moment heads back to Psalms. God is my fortress, my refuge, my strong tower, my defense, my righteousness. If I really believed that I could take a break from building a fortress around my heart because God is that for me. And what if I could take a break from gathering stones and spend my energy elsewhere?
The author takes us to Psalm 23:4-6. “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.” What’s it like to step out in faith without fear? I ended the verse a clause early it actually says, “I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” It’s not like my mom kicking me out of the house in the summer “Go Play.” Go do that without me, it’s let us walk through this valley of death together because you can trust me,
Hudson Taylor was one of the first missionaries to China in the 1800’s always spoke about the “Exchanged Life.” Trading my life for His. Another explanation of what this chapter is about. The courage to trust that if I gave up A,B,C to the Lord, that He would give me X,Y, and Z and that those would be infinitely better. Giving up what we know feels like dying, but it’s a great day to be dead!!
Truth, Grace, and Time 