Narcissus

Narcissus

In Greek mythology, the story of Narcissus is told about a hero from Thespia who was known for his beauty. He was the son of the nymph Liriope and the river god Cephisus. For purposes of modesty, we will stick with the Roman version of the story told by Ovid since it leaves out the details of Narcissus being sexually attracted to his sister...

As the story goes, Narcissus had been on a lifelong journey looking for love but never seemed to find it. One day, while hunting in the woods, he became thirsty and went to take a drink from a stream. When he saw his reflection in the water, he fell in love with it, not realizing that the reflection belonged to him. He bent down to kiss the reflection, but as he did, it disappeared. He was broken-hearted as love eluded him once again. His thirst grew more intense, but he was afraid to touch the water because he didn't want the reflection to disappear. As the legend goes, he died of thirst and self-infatuation as he stared at his own reflection.

When Narcissus was an infant, his mother, concerned for her son's future, consulted a prophet named Teiresias who told her that Narcissus "would live to a ripe old age, as long as he never knew himself." As it turned out, it was his self-infatuation that cut his life short.

I'm not the type of person who draws his belief from mythology and legend, but I do appreciate how these stories were told within the context of their own culture to explain the human condition. I find the story of Narcissus to be particularly relevant for the times -- and relevant for the church as well. We use the term "narcissism" loosely today to describe the traits of self-love, vanity, conceit, egotism, or even selfishness. It is probably more accurate to say that narcissism is excessive self-love based on one's self-image or ego.

The lesson from Narcissus is clear: self-infatuation is deadly.

We live in a society that tells us our happiness comes from improving ourselves. The marketing kicks in to convince us that the key to happiness is found in everything we don't yet have (from rock-hard abs to rock-star possessions). "If I could only make my life better, I would be happier." Isn't it interesting how as our gaze turns inward, happiness seems more and more elusive? With the number of self-help gurus on the rise and the amount of stuff we now possess, you'd think we would be the hap-hap-happiest people on the planet!

And there is no shortage of these self-help gurus floating about in the church, either. With their mantras of "the Lord wants you to be blessed", you would think that the only thing that matters to the Lord is my personal prosperity and comfort. This is a hard message for followers of Christ to reconcile with a world infested by poverty, brokenness, and war. Apparently, it's only a message that we can afford! With any number of churches concerned only with their existence and the improvement of their existence, it would seem that we, too, may be paying too much attention to our image in the River Styx*.

I say "we" because I realize I am not too different from what bothers me (perhaps that's why it bothers me so much!). After all, I can be deeply torn between the pursuits of my own needs/wants verses a very different life in the Kingdom of God. I am certain there is no life to be found in the pursuit of self, so I am not sure why I keep pursuing it as often as I do. We do, after all, follow the one who seemed to tell us that if we want to find our life, we must lose it. His message of self-sacrificing love is the antithesis of narcissism.

We might be narcissistic when we are concerned more with our "image" rather than the authentic work of his grace. We might be narcissistic when we are concerned more with ourselves or our church than with his call to serve others. We might be narcissistic when we concern ourselves more with our own well-being rather than the well-being of those around us who are in need. The life Jesus promises can escape us when we obsess over our individualistic or corportate selves.

Thirsty, anyone? Don't be afraid to shatter that image being reflected back at you. "Whoever drinks from the water I give him will never thirst again" (Jesus in John 4:14).

*According to legend, Narcissus still keeps gazing on his image in the waters of the River Styx, the mystical river that separates Earth from Hades.