When I first ran across this short article I was struck by it's uncompromising truth and challenged by its unattainable bidding. For me, personally, I need lots and lots (and lots) of extra grace in most of these areas.
"When your good is evil spoken of, when your wishes are crossed, your advice disregarded, your opinions ridiculed, and you refuse to let anger rise in your heart, or even defend yourself, but take it all in patient, loving silence....that is dying to self.
When you lovingly and patiently bear any disorder, any irregularity, any impunctuality, or any annoyance; when you stand face-to-face with waste, silly extravagance, spiritual insensibility, and endure it as Jesus did....that is dying to self.
When you are content with any food, any offering, any climate, any society, any clothing, any interrogation, any interruption by the will of God....that is dying to self.
When you never care to refer to yourself in conversation, or to defend your own beliefs, your own good works, or itch for commendation, when you can truly love to be unknown....that is dying to self.
When you can see your brother prosper and have his needs met, and can honestly rejoice with him in spirit, and feel no envy, nor question God, while your own needs are far greater and in more desperate circumstances....that is dying to self.
When you receive correction and reproof from one of less stature than yourself, and can humbly submit inwardly, as well as outwardly, finding no rebellion, retaliation, self-sympathy, self-defense, self-vindication, self-justification, resentment, bitterness, unforgiveness in heart....that is dying to self!"
(source)
To think: this is an integral part of what and who Christ was and did for us...I am continually awestruck not only by this, but by the fact that it is not required of me to attain such a disposition, no, not a requirement but a desire..a deep desire brought on by nothing less than a heart change; a heart changed by nothing less than Christ's death and resurrection for us. Jesus did it for me, He paid it all, all to Him I owe..
"For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."
-2Corinthians 5:14-17
(I just realized I'd posted this article here before, but will post this again anyway, partly to just update/post-over the previous (ancient) post!)
