“There is freedom in admitting the story is not about me.”
Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – January 6, 2026
He must increase, but I must decrease. John 3:30
Growing up in the 90s, I was part of the self-esteem generation. The belief trumpeted from every kids’ show or film was that if you discover yourself, feel great about yourself, and be unflinchingly true to yourself, you would be free to live your best life. My generation grew up to be easy targets for marketers the world over who sell their products based on one premise: “You are the hero of your story. You deserve this.” Are we any more secure or happy for all the naval gazing we were taught to practice? A look at social media would suggest that we are just as desperate for notoriety, just as starved for affirmation. How did all the films get it so wrong? Perhaps they were giving us an aim that was too small. Perhaps we were made for a purpose so much bigger than finding ourselves.
My life and yours were made to tell a story, but it is so easy to live as if the story is all about me. And that pressure of self-preoccupation is suffocating. If the story is about me, then when I don’t perform well enough, when someone doesn’t affirm me sufficiently, when someone else rises above me, security vanishes, and with it joy.
Thankfully, the Bible tells a different story than the Disney shows of the 90s. It affirms that we are made in the image of God and dearly beloved, that we were bought at the price of Christ’s precious blood. But it draws our gaze away from ourselves and towards the true Hero of the Story. Take the story in Matthew 14 of Peter walking, by Jesus’ invitation, on the water towards the Lord. The instant Peter takes his gaze off of Jesus and begins to consider his own limitations in his wild venture into the impossible, he sinks beneath the waves. But just as Jesus called, and just as Jesus enabled, Jesus saves Peter. It was never about Peter walking on water. It was always about Peter joining Jesus in what He was doing. Being in the place where his Lord was. Jesus is, as always, the hero of the story. When we fix our gaze on him, we will find our place in that story too, walking with him on water as stable as if on solid rock.
As I enter the new year, I’m embracing the motto “It’s not about me.” My work, my relationships, my parenting… none of it is about me. What wonderful freedom there is in that! What greater ambition than that all the pieces of my little life might point to the King and the glorious story of his coming Kingdom?
Prayer
Lord, help me to see myself rightly, as your beloved child. But also, keep me from self-preoccupation and teach me to fix my gaze on you, the Author and Hero of the story.
Application
Are you suffering from self-preoccupation? How can you practice denying your self-primacy and living unto the Lord?
Related Reading
Matthew 16:24-26; 1 Corinthians 6:20; Colossians 1:17-19; Hebrews 12:2
Worship Resource
Incredible Grace Music: Jesus I My Cross Have Taken
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