The Freedom of Self Forgetfulness - Timothy Keller - A Review

A much-needed book to address the much-vaunted doctrine of self-promotion. The need of the hour for a society as well as, pathetic it may seem even for the Christendom, that is unabashedly bent on foisting on you marketing your 'self'. "If you have to get on to higher levels of your life you've got no choice but to promote yourself" sounds the clarion. But is this propagandizing worthy enough?  Is it real enough to fetch you the desired ends without dreadful consequences.

Timothy Keller, pastor and theologian, has written a concise book that should help rescue people from themselves. Some nuggets of wisdom from his book:

The Diagnosis:

"The image points to the fact that there is emptiness at the centre of the human ego."

"...human ego is built on something besides God. It searches for something that will give it a sense of worth, a sense of specialness and a sense of purpose and builds itself on that."

"...is always making us think about how we look and how we are treated."

"People sometimes say their feelings are hurt. But our feelings can’t be hurt! It is the ego that hurts"

"It is always drawing attention to itself."

"As Lewis (C.S.Lewis) says, pride is the pleasure of having more than the next person."

"Trying to recommend ourselves, trying to create a self-esteem résumé because we are desperate to fill our sense of inadequacy and emptiness. The ego is so busy. So busy all the time."

The Prescription:

"Paul’s self-worth, his self-regard, his identity is not tied in any way to their verdict and their evaluation of him."

"And then he goes one step further: he will not even judge himself. It is as if he says, ‘I don’t care what you think – but I don’t care what I think. I have a very low opinion of your opinion of me – but I have a very low opinion of my opinion of me.’"

"So, although he knows himself to be the chief of sinners, that fact is not going to stop him from doing the things that he is called to do."

"True gospel-humility means I stop connecting every experience, every conversation, with myself. In fact, I stop thinking about myself."

"True gospel-humility means an ego that is not puffed up but filled up."

"The truly gospel-humble person is a self-forgetful person whose ego is just like his or her toes. It just works. It does not draw attention to itself. The toes just work; the ego just works. Neither draws attention to itself."

"When someone whose ego is not puffed up but filled up gets criticism, it does not devastate them. They listen to it and see it as an opportunity to change."

"Wouldn’t you like to be the type of person who, in their imaginary life, does not sit around fantasizing about hitting self-esteem home-runs, daydreaming about successes that gives them the edge over others?"

"Do you realize that it is only in the gospel of Jesus Christ that you get the verdict before the performance?"

"And now I perform on the basis of the verdict. Because He loves me and He accepts me, I do not have to do things just to build up my résumé. I do not have to do things to make me look good. I can do things for the joy of doing them. I can help people to help people – not so I can feel better about myself, not so I can fill up the emptiness."

This book is recommended to anyone who is experiencing  this struggle within. God bless!