It has been brought to my attention in my newsfeed that this month is “Self-love September” and that people are encouraged to post something they love about themself everyday this month.

As if people don’t love themselves (too much**) already, let’s dedicate a whole month to proclaiming what we love about ourselves each day!

I highly doubt anyone wants to read/hear me proclaim what I love about myself everyday (I don’t even want to hear it), so I will not be participating. 

This whole self-love emphasis (especially among Christians) disturbs me because no where in Scripture are we encouraged to focus on loving ourselves more. Rather, Christ teaches us to be others-oriented, as that is something we are not naturally prone to. (Although many disagree, I firmly believe everyone naturally loves themselves; it is not something we need to learn or work on. We do, however, need to work on loving others).

I brought this up to my husband, and his response was so true: Modernity has made orphans out of us. We have no guidance, no true ethics, no real beauty, no institutions. Nothing. So people have to fend for themselves and cling to pop culture icons and pop philosophy and one liners. Next thing you know you have a month dedicated to the virtue of being self-centered. Because they have nothing. It’s sad.

It is sad, and also scary, because even those in the church are blindly believing what pop culture says is good and true and beautiful, even when Scripture teaches the very opposite.

Even though many will disagree with me, I am posting this because it is unsettling how quick and deep Christians buy into and boast in what is popular when there is actually no virtue or beauty in it at all. Wouldn’t it be much more refreshing to see posts about what people love about others, rather than about themselves? I am not proposing to post about others each day of September, simply because I do not commit myself to do anything on social media everyday. But it would be much more refreshing to see a month of posts that are others-oriented rather than self-exalting…in my opinion anyway. 

Maybe it’s because I am a mother now, and I am concerned about the culture my son will grow up in. I hope he measures goodness and truth and virtue by what Scripture teaches, rather than by what pop culture is teaching. I hope he doesn’t feel the need to “practice self-love” (whatever that means), but rather spends his energies on loving those around him. I know I definitely need to work on this, as I, too, am naturally prone to caring for myself before others. The last thing I need is for others to encourage me to be more self-involved. And that’s the last thing I want to encourage others to do. Besides, the more we focus on ourselves, the more empty we actually feel. The more we focus on others, the more joy we truly have.

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves.”          Philippians 2:3

“When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.” Proverbs 11:2

“He must increase, but I must decrease.” John 3:30

“Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”                                              Matthew 23:12