​I’ve been feeling a little “me” sick lately.

​Yes, you read that right. Not sea sick. Me sick.

​I am growing tired of the endless stream of content, data, and entertainment that is being fed to me and is designed to serve my every want and need.

​My Netflix homepage is taking everything I’ve ever watched and offering countless shows that I might like even more. My social media algorithm is constantly reading my every like, share, and watch to try to keep me on there for longer. Chat GPT is just patiently waiting to tell me how amazing I am and how my next idea is going to change the world.

​Anyone else just kind of feeling over it all?

​What happened to the desire to make the world better? To leave things (and people) better than we found them? To try to serve, give, and teach more over our lifetimes? Why are we convinced that it’s all about us?

​Personally, I am challenged and captivated by John the Baptist’s line when he was confronted about the new guy on the scene, Jesus, who might take away the work that John was doing. John said…

“30 He must become greater; I must become less.”

John 3:30

Other translations say, “he must increase and I must decrease.” And I think not only is that incredibly beautiful, but it should be the desire of all of our lives. If we are claiming to be followers of Jesus, then our lives should be marked by less of ourselves over time, surely not more.

​We were designed to give glory back to God. To live our entire lives for Him. To reflect Him to the rest of the world by what we do, say, and how we act. When we buy into the lie that everything is about us, we are living how we were designed to live as image bearers. When we forget that we are images of someone else, and are not the images ourselves, we place ourselves in the main character role of the story, and everything begins to implode. Because characters in the story can’t carry the weight of being the author.  

​When we are the main character of the story, the story collapses in on itself. We were designed to play a role in a much bigger story.

​And this truth surely doesn’t mean that we begin to hate ourselves or develop the mindset of “woe is me.” Because the funny thing about the upside down Kingdom of God is that as we begin to think about ourselves less, we find greater joy and satisfaction (and even confidence and value) as we live our lives every day.  

Humility as it’s been said many times before, is not thinking less of ourselves (that self hate idea) but simply thinking of ourselves less (and thinking of God and others more).  

We are called to pour out our lives (all of our lives) as an offering to God. We are called to hold nothing back from Him and what He may want to do in and through us. This is actually what true worship is, to live fully devoted and available to Him at all times and in all spaces and places. I’ll end with some words from Paul.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

Romans 12:1