The Cult of Me and the Cross of Christ
“…Jesus speaks of the necessity of his rejection, suffering, and death; and… the disciples voice their ambitions for status and prestige. Jesus speaks of surrendering his life; the disciples speak of fulfilling theirs. He counts the cost of discipleship; they count its assets. The disciples have yet to learn that the rewards of disciples come only as a consequence of following Christ on the costly way to Jerusalem.”- James R. Edwards
Ours is an age of narcissism. We are obsessed with ourselves. “Selfies” are just one overt way that it’s too obvious to miss. There are many others. Our culture has perfected the art of this obsession. Turns out we are really good at being worshipers of ourselves. We even have a new meaning for an old word which the cult of me celebrates, “self-love.” Now I know some of you are ready to fight so, first let me give you the definition on which I am basing my conclusion. The APA’s definitions of self-love are: 1. regard for and interest in one’s own being or contentment. 2. excessive self-regard, or a narcissistic attitude toward one’s body, abilities, or personality.[i] At first blush, this concept, especially definition one, seems harmless enough. There needs be a proper regard for oneself. And for the millions of people who struggle with self-harm and suicide, there is much to be said (and hopefully done) to help them gain a healthier self-image. What gets tricky is the word ‘proper.’ Adding to the slippery slope, I would argue is the ‘working definition’ of self-love. Thoughthappy.com turned their “definition” into a Facebook meme which seems closer to how we use the term: “Self-love means placing a high value on the well-being and happiness of oneself. Self-love means taking care of yourself, not sacrificing your well-being for the sake of others.”[ii] (italics mine) Merriam Webster reports that ‘self-love’ is in the top 2% of words looked up in their online dictionary.[iii] Imagine that! The real trouble of our obsession with our happiness and well-being is that it leaves us helplessly unable to embrace a call to discipleship. A discipleship that calls us to deny ourselves is antithetical to a call to not sacrifice our well-being for the sake of others. In other words, the cult of me must die on the cross of Christ. Understanding this as good news is grasping the paradox of the Gospel. The down is up. To bear the cross is to wear the crown. If you want a fulfilled life, live for Christ and others (Mark 9:35). Life to the full is offered to us but it’s not to be found in the mirage of self-love. The cult of me is a lie. If to quote the Sesame Street earworm, “There's nothing I can't achieve. Because in myself I believe” what happens when we fail? When we find our selfishness really is ugly and destructive, what then? What if we gain the whole world but forfeit our souls? In that moment we need Someone who gives us rescue. Jesus is that rescue. His plan for His followers is that they would live as he lived in a life of self-giving. And, we find when we give our lives to His service and to being last, we gain more than the world can hope to promise- eternal life. One thing more to consider, once we enter the discipleship process, we must not neglect these very things. It is not as if Jesus asks us one time to give up our desires for obedient followership. Rather, it is every day. The question is today will I embrace the cult of me or the cross of Christ?
[i] https://dictionary.apa.org/self-love
[ii] https://www.facebook.com/thoughthappy/photos/a.110588487935966/173516264976521/
[iii] “Self-love.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-love. Accessed 21 Mar. 2022.