You Matter

I fear too much Christian teaching is an attempt to obliterate the self--a misinterpretation of “I must decrease so that he may increase” or “It is not I who live but Christ who lives in me.” These verses are not about reducing the self. The first is John the Baptist’s way of saying, “My mission is nearly complete. I must step aside now and let Jesus begin his.” The second is Paul’s way of saying, “I am increasingly becoming Christlike.”

My point is this. You matter. We all do. Deeply. And not just to our family and friends. To God.

To quote another verse, it is senseless to “treat others as you would like to be treated” unless you start from a position of caring about yourself. This is not selfish.

It is not selfish for you to take care of yourself. It is, in fact, the only way you can be of service to those around you.