The Selfie Generation lives by the motto, “this is our world and everyone else is just living it.”
We are the Selfie Generation. Selfies dominate social networks. Kids take selfies, parents take selfies, and even our president takes selfies. People take far more pictures of themselves than they do of others. We are the centers of our worlds. Everything is about us. Someone said we call them selfies because narcissist-ies has to many characters for twitter.
Jesus’ teaching of sacrificial love and selfless service directly opposes many of the values of our generation. Selfishness is the natural way to go through life. In almost every language, babies learn how to say “me” before they learn how to say “I”. The word “me” makes us receivers, as the object of a sentence that revolves around us. The word “I” makes us active, as we are doing something.
We ask self-serving questions like:
- What’s in it for me?
- How does this benefit me?
- What can I get out of this relationship?
- Are my needs being met?
- Does this make me happy?
- Do I enjoy this?
How can the church brings Jesus’ message of selflessness to a society dominated by selfishness?
The only cure for selfishness is the cross. We have to look to the cross of Christ, and obey Jesus by taking up our crosses daily.
Selfishness leads us to sorrow through temporary pleasure or enjoyment. Selflessness leads us to joy through temporary suffering or sacrifice. Selflessness is the only way to experience life. Jesus emptied Himself and gained everything, and He calls us to do the same. He calls us to take up our cross and lay down our comfort.
This is a discipleship issue.
Soon, many who’ve chosen to live the self-centered life will experience the shallow emptiness that inevitably results from such a lifestyle. They’ll grow bored with the things of this world and look for more. If the church is not ready to show them the way of salvation, they’ll look for salvation somewhere else. We’ve got to speak more about the cross. We’ve got to teach the life God gives. Everything we do must point people to the cross of Christ. Instead of posting our own images for the world to see, we must allow them to see the image of God in us. Churches must point to the cross and show people how to build their lives on Jesus.
