At some point in my educational journey, I was instructed that it was inappropriate to use the word when attempting to offer a definition of that word; however, that rule doesn’t seem to apply today. When investigating a definition of what it means to engage in Self-Forgetfulness, the online dictionary offers “having or showing no thought to self or selfish interests.” Perhaps this is not a phrase that needs explanation, for it is human nature to be selfish. No one teaches a toddler to speak the word, “Mine!” for it as natural to them as breathing. And although it might be cute with a toddler, there is definitely an age where it becomes an unattractive characteristic to possess.
So, rather than accept a secular definition for Self-Forgetfulness, as applicable as it is, my hope is to choose to consider more deeply Tim Keller’s description of what it means to embrace Self-Forgetfulness by defining it as gospel-humility. “A truly gospel-humble person is not a self-hating person or a self-loving person, but a gospel-humble person. The truly gospel humble person is a self-forgetful person…It does not draw attention to itself.” Keller, as many others I’ve read have done, shares in his book The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness the wisdom of C.S. Lewis, who shared that “gospel humility is not thinking more of myself or thinking less of myself, it is thinking of myself less.”
Recently, before embarking on an Alpine Tour with a group of 30+, one of my prayer requests was that the Lord would equip me with a sense of Self-Forgetfulness. As an independent woman, often Going Solo, it’s easy for me to slip into that human-nature, Default Setting of being self-centered. It takes a supernatural presence of the Holy Spirit to counteract that my preferences might need to be set aside for the benefit of others. We are traveling with people who are not familiar with the fact that I prefer Diet Dr. Pepper to Coke Light (come on, Europe!) or that some people fancy an aisle or window seat, or others favor walking on the right or left side, or select the bed closest to the window. Being Self-Forgetful can be a vital component to a Habit of Awareness every day, but especially when in a large group.
One of the main quests of this travel group was to experience the reenactment of the last week of Jesus’ life through the Passion Play at Oberammergau, which is only performed every 10 years. What we witness in this performance is what I have referred to previously as the Exemplar of Selflessness. Jesus’ sacrifice was the epitome of Self-Forgetfulness, gospel-humility demonstrated when it truly was a matter of life and death. His death provided me with eternal life. I am confident it was not a coincidence that Christ’s demonstration of self-sacrifice in the play overlapped with what I was witnessing in the spirit of Self-Forgetfulness of the travelers repeatedly on this journey.
Grateful to be traveling with a group of Christ followers, I saw daily examples of what it means to be Self-Forgetful whether it was Steve graciously holding the door for all of us in Salzburg as we entered St. Peter’s church. Or the Merker’s patiently waiting on the streets of Innsbruck for nearly an hour longer than planned for others to return from the trip up the mountain. Jeff sacrificing a particular seat on the bus to the benefit of anyone who was more hot-natured than him. Karel, Dub, Jeff and Melissa rolling luggage out to the coach because the hotel porters were absent. Many other times I was able to witness this gospel humility among our group.
When challenged to be Self-Forgetful, we can move the needle on being kind to one of sacrifice, a willingness to allow someone’s preferences or needs to come first. To those on our trip to the Alps who make it look so easy to do, thank you. May we all choose to model this trait of Self-Forgetfulness, whether it’s on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to the Alps, or in our Ordinary Places that we move through every day. Have you witnessed someone who is truly Self-Forgetful? Please consider sharing about this person in the comments below!
References:
Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Self-forgetfulness. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-forgetful
D.W. Travel. (2022, June 11). Oberammergau in Germany and it’s world-famous Passion Play. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/M5s4iY7pZyQ
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