Christianity is not faithfully attending church, singing hymns or Psalms, paticipating in women’s Bible studies or doing nice things for other people. Surely, in the truest sense, Christianity is Christ. It is about one Person and for one Person. He stands front and center of all that is. He is the transforming message that turns our world upside down and turns us away from ourselves to Him. Belonging to this one Person and being connected to this one message is what life is about. Many religions are focused on doing things and the point is for a person to do enough. Christianity is focused on Christ and what He has done. Self and self effort can never be enough.We cannot do anything to advance our way to God. Only Jesus is enough. We are united to Christ and under the weight of His presence self finds its place at His feet. We have a new center and reason and life.

We all know what it is like to have the sense that everything that happens is about us. We bump into the circumstances of life and our first consideration is ourselves. How do I feel about this? How does this make me look? How will this interrupt my plans? Discovering that we are not the center of the universe after all is the greatest discovery of all. It has transforming implications. There is nothing that it does not touch. A self- centered person begins to think from a Christ-centered perspective. What is He doing? How does He want me to respond? How will this affect His reputation? What would honor Him? These thoughts are not natural and are not possible apart from Him. They are wonderfully freeing and the Christian begins to experience life in Christ. Before, we thought that we had to preserve ourselves and protect ourselves to find life. Now we know that in losing ourselves we find ourselves and the one Person that we cannot live without.

We all know that our lives are not trouble free as Christians. We have conflict within ourselves and with other people. Sometimes the pain of it all can almost be overwhelming. It is no small thing to deal with. Is the cause of most of it the self trying to intrude and take over what belongs to Christ? A self-centered Christian is a contradiction in terms and generally difficult to live with. When we are angry because the circumstances of life do not please us, is this not being self-centered? When we care more about ourselves or our own family conflict this is being self-centered. When we insist that others see things our way we are making ourselves the authority. If we are easily offended, unkind, moody, discontent, or frustrated we would do well to question ourselves and deal with the root of our self-centered problem. Nothing is going to make life better until we do. Getting our way in any one circumstance will not help. There will always be another person or circumstance standing in our way. Again, Christ is our only answer. Exchanging the self life for His life is the only way.

From beginning to end we are left with Christ.To face life with Him at the center is a life well lived. To see Him work and intercede as only He can is as safe as it gets. When we see the self trying to take over what is His alone may we turn to Him and find the help that we need. As Christian women we must resist self-interest, self-deception and self-rule. We surrender our plans, our hopes, our families and our reputations to Christ. He is able to take better care of our lives than we are. We know that the gospel of Christ transforms us, that we are becoming the fragrance of Christ in our homes, church and to the world. Christ Himself is the transforming power in our lives and the center and meaning of all that is. “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever.”