Enough About Me - Find Lasting Joy In The Age Of Self
We live in a cultured saturated with self. We’ve grown up with a chorus of voices singing, “You can be anything you want to be!” “Believe in yourself” “You can do it!’ Think about how often these man-centered claims are made. If you just pull yourself up by your bootstraps, you can do anything. And to further encourage the deity of self, everyone gets a trophy.
Jen Oshman has her finger on the pulse of American society. In her debut book, Enough About Me- Find Lasting Joy in the Age of Self, Jen masterfully describes the pitfalls so many of us fall into as we seek our own happiness. The perfect vacation is spoiled by a sick child. Our latte turns cold before we have a chance to drink it. The pounds we shed are quickly regained with the holiday season. The nest egg we have in the bank is depleted when the stock market crashes. It’s easy to put our hope in material things, but Jen calls us to a higher hope, one in which we’ll never be disappointed.
With captivating stories and biblical truth, Jen helps us open our eyes to see the idols in our own hearts. Are we looking to glorify self or God? Our creator has the right to use our lives to point the spotlight on himself, and that’s what will bring us the greatest joy!
“Our remedy is in reclaiming our worldview. It’s in rejecting the self-help movement that birthed us and in reorienting ourselves back toward the God who made us…Let’s admit that we are not enough, and turn to the God who is.” Enough About Me p.38-39
Enough About Me gives a passionate plea to evaluate our own lives- what are we living for? Do our neighbors notice anything different about us? Are we living our lives to count for Christ? Do we truly believe the fundamental truth of the Gospel- that “whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life”? (John 12:25)
“Joy comes through cross-carrying. Chances are, for you and me, this pursuit of joy through death will entail dying a thousand small deaths every day.”p.155 Jen’s book spurred me on to live a life of faith, to trust God in the difficult seasons of life. I’m reminded that the Christian life is not meant to be easy and comfortable, but one that causes us to lift our eyes to the Lord. He is our hope. And following Him will lead to the greatest joy possible.
“If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full” (John 15:10-11).