One of the paradoxes of the mystical life is this: but a man cannot enter into the deepest center of himself and pass through that sensor into God, unless he is able to pass entirely out of himself and empty himself and give himself to other people and the purity of a selfless love.
~~~Thomas Merton
Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.
~~~Jesus
One of the greatest tasks of living the Christian life is to die to self. Dying to self means that we must set aside our wants, desire and way of seeking God and turn ourselves over to God’s Spirit and direction. When we take such a step we become God dependent not self dependent. Suddenly, we can see through new eyes and hear through new ears. We see and hear as God hears and many things that made no sense to us before now make sense. Merton calls it emptying ourselves in order to see others as God sees them. This new sight brings us into a life changing relationship with God and our fellow man.
This brings us the purity of selfless love. With that purity secured in us , we are ready to pursue the kingdom of God in the here and now. We can empty ourselves and learn to serve those around us with joy and not bitterness or reluctance. We can give without expecting something in return. We can now have a full understanding of the concept “turning the other cheek.” With this attitude we can live a life of victory.
Jesus tells the same story to his disciples when he speaks a parable. The seed(wheat) must fall to the ground and die before the fruit is brought forth. The seed must give up its identity as a seed and become a plant to produce what it was created to produce. That is the product of dying to self.
A good challenge to us would be to examine how our lives would be different if we truly died to self. Who would we serve? How would we serve them? What would our priorities be? How would we carry them out? By asking these questions and more we can determine just how much we have died to self.
Prayer
Lord, Help me to understand what you mean when you tell us to die to self. Guide me to examine everyday whether I have died to self and risen in you. It is only with constant self examination and communication with you that I can stay on the right path. Guide me this day to find that path and follow it where its leads, because I know that is where I will find YOU.
Amen
A Pastor's Thoughts 