Freedom from Self-Absorption

“I know a man in Christ” — 2 Corinthians 12:2.

To forget ourselves is a great deliverance. There is no heavier millstone we can be made to carry than constant preoccupation with ourselves. It is so easy to turn inward and let our spiritual awareness revolve entirely around ourselves.

Nothing holds our attention so easily as our own misery. Nothing draws our attention back to ourselves more readily than suffering. Before long, it becomes almost a settled habit to cling to our burden and keep bringing it before God in prayer. At last, our very prayer immerses us more deeply in our own misery.

Instead, let us ask for strength to let go of ourselves completely, leave ourselves in His loving hands, and know that we are free. Then we can rise into the blessed freedom of His higher thoughts and will, and His love and care for others.

The very act of releasing our preoccupation with ourselves truly lifts us and brings relief from what is hurting us. The habit of praying for others, especially for the world, brings its own reward. It leaves a blessing upon our hearts like the fertile soil the Nile deposits on the land of Egypt as it flows toward its distant goal.