Reading: The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness by Timothy Keller

I was introduced to Tim Keller by a peer in one of my classes this past semester.  He posts podcasts on iTunes and though I have not yet listened to them, I have them downloaded ready to listen.  I came across this book on Amazon and since it was such a cheap price, I bought it.  I had no idea it was such a small book!  It is only 40 some pages and it took me a little over an hour to read.  That is why I am telling you early that this book is getting 5 out of 5 stars.  It was a simple read and yet it tackled a topic that is not simple what-so-ever!
The book starts out with an intro that talks about how society views the bad things people do to be the work of low self-esteem.  Keller says that this is not the case.  The case of low self-esteem is that a person feels unloved all of their lives and does not feel like they are good enough so they therefore act rashly and out of order.  Viewing the world in this way is said, by Keller, to be very easy because it does not tackle the deeper moral judgement and it only requires building a person up rather than doing any dirty work.  Keller says that low self-esteem is not the problem.  The problem is pride.  The book focuses on a specific passage from the bible - 1 Corinthians 3:21-4:7.

I do not want to spoil anything so here is a quick summary of what the rest of this book contains.  The book talks about the ego and the four things that describe the ego.  It then talks about how to deal with the ego and then talks about life without the ego in the picture.  I would love to go into more detail but also do not want to give away what Keller has to say.  Essentially, the book seemed to be a quick but deep look at what Christianity is all about.  It is all about learning to live without limits from others and limits from yourself and therefore forgetting yourself.  While this concept may seem a bit confusing, Keller spills the beans a lot better than I have in this review.  Although the book is small, it speaks volumes and I encourage anyone who is confused about why they feel sad or lonely or feel as if they have low self-esteem, to read it!  I also encourage anyone wishing to understand their faith better to read this book.  I guarantee it won't disappoint!