dying to self

Jesus asked us repeatedly to "die to self."  Die to your self to find your self.

We take this to mean that we should try really hard to be good.  We take it to mean that we should work really hard to be a certain way.  Stop being selfish.  Force yourself.

What if dying to self means that we must change our central view of ourselves- from separated to reconciled, from rejected to loved, from sinner to saint.

It is hard to stop yourself from being selfish when your core sense of who you are is broken and thrown away.  When we come to believe that we are loved and forgiven, a new self emerges.

Richard Rohr says that this is the point of daily prayer.  We have to keep reminding ourselves of who we are in Christ.

It is a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.