Facebook is a great platform to trumpet the triumphs of our kids and ourselves (does any one trumpet our parent's triumphs?) We like winners. We are proud of the good things our loved ones do. Alas, in a competitive world, most of us are losers. One thing I think this leads us to is a self-rejection, one which we won't admit or are not aware of. But one that eats away at us from the inside. God forbid.
Jesus does expect good things done in his name. But his love goes beyond that and ours should, too. Jesus loves us IN SPITE of what we do because he finds us inherently lovable – as is! Consider today loving another "just because." Set up someone else for a lifetime of self-acceptance that is not based on circumstances. Most of those are out of our control.
"Over the years, I have come to realize that the greatest trap in our life is not success, popularity, or power, but self-rejection. Success, popularity, and power can indeed present a great temptation, but their seductive quality often comes from the way they are part of the much larger temptation to self-rejection. When we have come to believe in the voices that call us worthless and unlovable, then success, popularity, and power are easily perceived as attractive solutions. The real trap, however, is self-rejection. As soon as someone accuses me or criticizes me, as soon as I am rejected, left alone, or abandoned, I find myself thinking, "Well, that proves once again that I am a nobody." … [My dark side says,] I am no good… I deserve to be pushed aside, forgotten, rejected, and abandoned. Self-rejection is the greatest enemy of the spiritual life because it contradicts the sacred voice that calls us the "Beloved." Being the Beloved constitutes the core truth of our existence." Henri Nouwen
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