The Selfie. Harmless self-promotion? Or deadly danger? You decide! Up until recently, I would have said Selfies were mostly harmless, but maybe I was wrong.
Lately, the headlines are getting worse: “Couple Killed After Falling From Cliff While Taking Selfie,” “Train Selfie Kills Three Indian Students,” “15 Year Old Dies Taking Selfie In Front of Train,” etc. And the most recent? A Selfie was blamed for a plane crash!
That’s right. Based on information found on a GoPro camera at the crash site, the determination was made that the pilot of a small plane probably caused his death and a passenger’s, all because he was distracted…while taking Selfies.
Now, Selfie-danger isn’t new. In Greek myths, a young man named Narcissus was so in love with his own reflection in the water that he was unable to stop staring at himself. He ultimately drowned and was turned into a flower. Like Narcissus, some people are so enamored with themselves that they ignore the dangers around them. Like Narcissus, they would rather die because of a Selfie than die to Selfie.
What does dying to Selfie look like? Glad you asked. Take a look at Luke 9:23-24:
And [Jesus] was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.”
Jesus is the perfect example. He wasn’t into self-promotion, and He always put the Kingdom first.
I’m not against using “Selfies” to capture memorable moments. This message isn’t really even about photos. But it is about your heart. And each day we take “Selfies” of our hearts and post them online…no, not Facebook…but in the Book of Life.
My question is, “Does your record promote self or show you following Him?”
If you follow Jesus, and die to selfish needs and desires, He promises the abundant life. But if you insist on Selfie first…well, I hope the danger was worth the shot.
