Before this week, I already knew I was selfish. Some recent events, though, have revealed just how deep that selfishness is and how it fights against God’s purposes. On Sunday, Chris’s sermon showed a picture of the opposite of selfishness, the Trinity.

When it comes to loving others, I had often heard examples from Christ’s life or other illustrations from the way God loved His people in the Bible. Looking at the love between the Trinity, though, challenged me yet again in my love for others. Like Chris talked about, what many label as my love for others can often be traced back to simply a love for myself. I saw that first hand this weekend.

I love my sister, who was visiting with her husband this weekend. (That’s her and me in the picture, by the way.) While I care for her deeply, I have to admit that, over and over again, I fail to love her in the way that the Trinity loves each other. My pride and selfishness can often rule my thoughts and words towards her, which grieves me because I know what true love looks like from looking at the Trinity. As Chris said, Trinity-like love shows as service “out of love and appreciation for who they truly are” and not selfish ambition.

Praise God that He has given me a new heart and the power of the Spirit to become more like His Son! Without that, my relationships—all of them—would be doomed. Another praise is that God gave me a sister who forgives me, time and again, when I fail to be “devoted to one another in brotherly love” (Romans 12:10). While refining me, God gives me the opportunity to glorify Him through “reflecting His relationship” (Chris’s words). Where better to learn these lessons than in my family and my church?