Please let me apologize in advance, but I'm feeling a bit of a rant coming on. I don't intend this to be "preachy," self-righteous, or offensive - but I'm overcome this morning with frustration and it's hard to focus on pretty much anything else until I get this off my chest...
I read the news, watch TV, etc. and my spirit is grieved at all the pain in the world. There are SO MANY disheartening things going on globally right now. But let's bring it down a notch and just look at our country...do you want to know the singular cause of what's wrong in our nation? And to put a finer point on it, let's look at our own state and city... Do you want to know what's wrong? The answer is simple...
It's in me. It's in you. It's in all of us.
S E L F I S H N E S S.
Of all the sins, vices, and evils of the world, I hate this one most of all because it is pretty much the root of all evil. I know. You thought "Money (of the love of it) is the root of all evil" - but look at the core desire. Is it the green bill that is evil? No. Is it wanting to acquire money that's evil? Not necessarily - money can be used as a tool for good. So what is it that's evil? It's the WHY of wanting money - because we want to satiate our desire for self.
We are to be driven toward promoting our own desires, our own pleasure, our own interests - indeed, the "original sin" was about the promotion of self. And not that it is inherently bad...it isn't. Meeting desires, having fun, etc. isn't necessarily bad. BUT, seeking it at the cost of all else IS.
Why do we cut people off in traffic?
Because WE WANT that spot...to get there first.
Why do we sneak 12 or 13 items into the 10 items or less" line at the grocery store?
Because WE WANT to hurry through and not have to wait.
Why do businesses depress our economy to ship jobs out for cheap labor overseas?
Because WE WANT a fatter the bottom line.
Why are there necessary jobs that people refuse to do or look down on?
Because WE WANT to be perceived by others as a certain "status."
Why do men decide that they are no longer "in love" and cheat on or leave their wives?
Because WE WANT instant gratification and happiness w/ no cost to us.
I could go on and on, but do you see the pattern? When it comes down to it, far too many of us make decisions based off of what we perceive will make us happy at any given time. An old DC Talk song ("In the Light") calls it "the disease of self," and says that it's a "cancer fatal to my soul."
Think for a moment just about your relationships. Think about how you interact with people...or more specifically, your spouse. Are you a giver or a taker? Do you make decisions (where you go to eat, what movie you see, etc.) based mostly off of what YOU want? How often do you consider the other person? (Think about the "why," though - if you always do for others because you want them to think well of you, then that's a whole different issue.) How often do you go places you'd rather not, but you go because they do? I STRONGLY BELIVE; no, I am WHOLLY CONVINCED that our world will change...businesses will change...families will change...marriages will change if we just take the focus off of ourselves. Especially in marriage, if you will focus on meeting your spouse's needs (and they focus on meeting your needs), then everyone's needs get met but no one is trying to meet their own needs. It's a perfect solution!
Two weekends ago, Andrea and I had the opportunity to go to a movie together. Now, this is not something that we get to do very often...like, once every six months or so we'll see a movie together. Andrea had REALLY been wanting so see "The Last Song" because she's such a fan of "Nick's" books. (I can call him Nick now because we have a personal friend who is one of his personal friends...so according to LinkedIN, we're 2nd Degree friends now!) I had absolutely NO desire to see that movie, but I agreed to go because I knew how much she wanted to see it. As things w/ us tend to go, we were running late to the movie (this time, though, it wasn't Andrea's fault!) so I dropped her off by the box office to buy the tickets while I parked. (I HATE missing the previews, and I will not watch a movie if I miss even the first 2 or 3 minutes of it. Neurotic, I know...but that's what she has to deal with!) When I walked up to meet her a few minutes later, she put the tickets in my hand. As I looked down, I saw that she had bought tickets for the movie that I wanted to see. She gave up seeing "The Last Song" for me to see the comedy that I thought would be funny...turns out, the movie wasn't good at all - but that's a different story. Bottom line? She put her needs aside and did something nice for me. I felt SOOO loved when she did that. At that moment, I'd have signed up to go to a Nicholas Sparks movie marathon and watched, "The Notebook," "Message in a Bottle,""A Walk to Remember," "Dear John," and "The Last Song" all in a row. Torture? YES! But I'd do it to show love for her. And what inspired it? She showed love to me.
This is growing long, so I must conclude with a challenge for you. Pray, and evaluate your life. Ask God to root out any selfishness you have, and instead fill it with love for others. Look for a way that you can show love to your spouse by putting him or her first. Look for a way you can show love to your child, or your co-worker, or that idiot who drives below the speed limit in the HOV lane.
Less of me, God; more of You.
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1 comment:
Agreed. Well said.
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