by Sara Snyder

The Quality of Self-forgetfulness

How many times can you say you “forget yourself” during the course of a day? I have to say, I’m pretty tied to myself. I seem to follow me everywhere I go! There are a few things that will take all my attention—a crisis at work, the sudden hurt of a beloved child, the fun of getting lost in a great story—but the reality is that after the urgency of those moments have passed, I am right back in the middle of “myself”.

Maybe that is why I am so captivated by Paul’s description of his friend/spiritual son/fellow worker Timothy in Philippians 2:19-24. Obviously from these verses (and others we can read in some of Paul’s other letters), this young man had made a lasting impression in Paul’s heart. “I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare. For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know that Timothy has proved himself…” Do you hear in this the way Timothy was living out Paul’s call to “shine like stars” (2:15)? I hear in it the very rare quality of self-forgetfulness. There was a stark contrast in the way Timothy went about loving the body of Christ that had been entrusted to him, and those others who surrounded Paul. In these short verses, I get a window into the heart of a young man totally sold out to the attitude of his Lord Christ (2:5).

“Lord Jesus, teach me the quality of self-forgetfulness. Just as Timothy learned that so well from You, penetrate my tendency for self-absorption with your heart of sacrifice for the needs of others. Remind me that even when I forget myself, you NEVER forget me. Amen”