Song Title: So Long Self
Artist:
Mercy Me
Album:
Coming Up To Breathe
Have you ever heard of a Dear John Letter? In short it's a letter someone writes to break up with someone that they've been dating. It's not too nice of a thing to do to someone. People often use them to avoid having a face to face conversation. It's pretty cold.
In So Long Self, Mercy Me writes a Dear John letter to themselves. Why do you think they are being so hard on themselves? Shouldn't we care about ourselves? Doesn't God want us to care about ourselves? Shouldn't we love ourselves?
Here is a little trivia question. What do the following verses have in common? Leviticus 19:18, Matthew 19:19, Matthew 22:39, Mark 12:31, Luke 10:27, Romans 13:9, Galatians 5:14, and James 2:8. I'll give you a hint. In Matthew 22:39 Jesus said it is the second greatest commandment, "Love your neighbor as yourself". Now did you get that last part of the sentence... as yourself. It must be okay to love ourselves if Jesus means for us to love our neighbors. Right?
Yes we should care about, and even love ourselves. We're not talking about selfishness here. We just should want to care about who we are, what we stand for, and like being us. God wants that for us. So, why the harshness in the song? Did Mercy Me get it wrong? Not really. You see loving yourself is one thing, but there's no comparison between that and how we should love God. Luke 14:26 says, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple."
What's going on here? Didn't we just say that we should love ourselves? Now, why is the Bible telling us to hate ourselves? This hate is not the same word as used with regard to enemies. It means a drastic diminished love as compared to the Lord. See, there should be no comparison between your love for the Lord and your love for anything or anyone else. God doesn't want anyone coming between you and Him, not even yourself.
Jesus wants all of you and not only that He wants it NOW. Read for yourself how Jesus calls people in the Bible in Luke 9:57-62... Jesus doesn't want to let any opportunity get in the way of you growing in Him and coming to His call. No wonder Mercy Me puts it into the form of a Dear John letter. They don't have time for anything else once Jesus calls :).
One more passage sums up everything God wants of you. Luke 9:23-24, "And he (Jesus) said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it." Taking up your cross daily means give yourself over to Jesus every day.
So, should you write a Dear John letter to yourself? What would you say? What reasons would you give for writing it? What will you give up for the Lord? What would you give over to the Lord? What are you afraid you'd hold back? Imagine writing such a letter and how exciting it would be to have a new love of your life, the Lord.
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