The Art of Self Forgetfulness

There was a time I was faced everyday with the reality of my inadequacies. I did not respect myself.  I felt a lot of shame and false guilt.  I am not sure how you can feel like you can't do anything right and at the same time, feel you are the only one that can do what is right.  They both come from a heart of pride.  These inadequacies only reminds me, yes, you are inadequate but Jesus has come. He has set His affections on you.  How valuable do you think you are if the Father would send His only Son to come to earth to bring you into the abundant family of God through death on a cross, through suffering, the pain of the world, abandonment, humiliations, mocking, the feeling of desertion and a loneliness He had never experience.  He knows what it is to lose everything for love.

What did degrade me, now, points me to Jesus.  The more I become aware of my envelopment in Him and His radical love, with out any conditions, the freer I am becoming, free to lose myself.   I have begun the art of self-forgetfulness.  Instead of focusing on my sin or how right I am,  the focus of the eyes of my heart are being filled with the radical love of the Father, Son and Spirit.  They are always in the recesses of my mind no matter what I am doing.  The love of God still brings me to repentance but it is deep, quick conviction, and life giving.  This too just points me to the love of my Abba and His Son's holiness for me.

I began to wonder, does God respect me. I know I am to be in deep respect and awe of Him, fear of Him.   I wanted to know what His respect for me looked like in my relationship with Him.  The Greek word for respect is timao, to honor, revere or venerate.  It literally means to place great value on something. In both definitions of respect, Greek and English, the word respect is used interchangeable with love.  Agape', the Greek, for one kind of love, means holding one in high regard, self sacrificing.  This is the love Jesus had for the disciples.  It is our love for one another no matter our race, sex, economic or educational status.  That was the answer to my question...Gods respect and greatest love for me was demonstrated in sending His Son, Jesus, to rescue me from myself.  The Father and Son laid down their life for me.  The Spirit felt the pain and anguish of the Father and the Son. The more I am struck by the magnitude of His greatness and power, the more I am sustained and fulfilled.  The more content I am in His love and enjoy being with Him,  the greater His glory shows through me.  I lose myself in the love of God.