As we’ve been discussing death to self and how that looks different for everybody, I want to talk today about another truth in a life of sacrifice: it’s hard to crucify yourself. While you may get one arm, you would be hard-pressed to get all of your limbs on a (figurative) cross by yourself, which is precisely why you need other people to help you on the journey of dying to your selfish desires.

The fact is that sometimes other people see things in you that you can’t see in yourself; we all have blind spots. Eight years ago, Hannah and I decided to start making New Year’s resolutions on behalf of each other. In other words, she picks something that she wants me to work on and I pick something that I want her to work on. While it could be a fight waiting to happen, we both decided when we started that this was a great opportunity for us to deal with the parts of ourselves that we can’t see clearly on our own. To my surprise, the year we began this tradition, Hannah asked me to please serve more. Now as a pastor, I thought of myself as being a servant already, but she wanted me to show it in more practical ways, like doing the dishes after having guests or being aware of the needs of others when they were in our home. Even though I could have, I didn’t receive this as judgement because as a couple, we had resolved that we were going to help each other see our blind spots. The really cool thing about this is that as we have worked together to crucify our flesh, we have grown closer to each other and have become better people at the same time!

Friend, I encourage you to let other people speak into your life. It’s impossible to see yourself objectively, so allow those who you trust and are close to to walk alongside you on your journey of dying to your selfish desires. It won’t be easy, but it will bless you and make you more like Jesus, which is the best possible thing. Because you are in Him, He has given you everything that you need for a life of Godliness; one that will have a huge impact on the world around you! Isn’t that great news?