Vanity - it's easy to mask, easy to forget, and easy to justify. We hide it behind dignity and poise. The sins connected to this weakness aren't quite as severe as those associated with pride, gluttony, and lust. But it can eventually lead up to some serious problems. And it can keep us from becoming an instrument of Christ.

The solution (humility) might be one of the most difficult virtues to master, but John the Baptist seems to have had a pretty good handle on it. Here's the guy who baptized Christ, and later sends his own followers away because he knows his time is over. So what was his secret? How do we stop worrying about our own worldly d?cor, and start the journey to becoming Christ's hand maid? The answer is self-love.

It might not sound like part of our Christian philosophy, but with the proper back drop, you can maintain selflessness and self-love in a co-existing format. How? By knowing our own self-worth, where our value comes from, and how to improve it.

So what are we worth? Let's start with the simple fact that we're creations of God. And since God doesn't make trash, that says pretty much for us. Now look at the fact that Christ Himself became man, suffered, and dies for us. Wow! That raises the value pot even more. We're actually worth the life of God.

Why are we so valuable? Because God made us. That's it. There's nothing more. All that we've accomplished, our assets, and our actions mean absolutely nothing. In other words, our nice house, perfect hair, & stylish clothing are worthless. Our career and community stature are meaningless. Even our good and charitable works do nothing to make us better.

This almost answers the next question. 'How do we improve ourselves?' But it only almost answers it, because it doesn't address the fact that God not only created us, but continues to work through us. So even though we can't improve ourselves at all, we can let God do it. Give Him control, and He'll make us better, reject Him, and our value will drop.

So by knowing, and loving ourselves, and desiring to make ourselves better, we can forget about the worldly illusions of greatness. We can overcome the vanity that might keep God from acting through us.

Written by Eric Engel at http://copyforsale.com, where you can find free content for your Christian newsletters and websites.