Confront the Monster

I remember shortly after I surrendered my life to Christ as an 11 year old my Mom pulled me aside and explained to me that part of that commitment meant that my behavior and my attitude toward others, especially my siblings, would have to be changed. This explanation opened the door for the Holy Spirit to begin dealing with me on a regular basis about the lifelong struggle to train “self” to live for Christ. It was right then that I came to understand that I would have to tame a monster living in me. The monster of self!

In Romans 12:10, we are told to honor one another above yourselves. In Philippians 2:3-8, we are told to “do nothing from selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than ourselves. Each of you should look out not only for your own interests, but also the interests of others”. We are told to adopt the attitude of Christ who humbled Himself to serve the need of humanity to have our sins forgiven in order to be restored to fellowship with God the Father.

Our culture is bombarding us in myriads of ways with the message that the most important pursuit in life is to serve self no matter what it might cost others. The message of our world is “you deserve more than anyone else and you owe it to yourself to do whatever you can get away with to gratify yourself”. This message is at complete odds with the example of Christ who volunteered to take the full punishment for all our sins and wrongdoing upon Himself so that we could be pardoned.

The reality is that this pursuit of exalting self is an ugly practice that ultimately robs us of joyful relationships, long lasting marriages, harmony in our homes, emotional fulfillment, Spiritual maturity, fulfillment in relationship with God, and all the other desirable things in life. Self keeps us constantly exhausted as we pursue the greener grass just on the other side of another fence. This worship of self is one of the most destructive forces at work in the world today.

So, my point is that as Christians, we should meditate on, and memorize, these scripture verses and ask the Holy Spirit to help us tame the monster of self that lives in all of us. I am convinced that this area of growth will minimize much of the conflict in our homes and pull back the curtain to allow the light of harmony and joy to flood into our homes.

I would also encourage all parents to take the time to explain this foundational principle of Christianity to their children as a part of their parenting. Share these scriptures with your children in age appropriate language. Share with them examples of how you live that out as a follower of Christ. Confront their outbursts of selfishness. Explain the ugliness and consequences of selfishness to them. Lead them in asking God to forgive them for being selfish. Encourage them to ask forgiveness from those who have been wronged by their selfishness. This will open the door for the Holy Spirit to whisper the values of Heaven into your child’s spirit as they move through life. Train a child in the way he/she should go and when they are old, they will not depart from it.

I believe that this practice will positively affect the trajectory of the future of your family!