March 4, 2016

Look Beyond Yourself

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

-- Philippians 2:3-4

It was kind of funny really. A really sweet young woman brought a large piece of furniture to the house for me to paint. She was surprised when I told her it would be a week to 10 days before it was ready. I’m not sure what she was thinking but I think it was more like a day or two.

I don’t think it occurred to her that I might have other orders ahead of hers. Surprising really. She first contacted me in December and I was too busy to get to it before Christmas. She called again and said she would bring it but never came. Then one day she called and told me it was loaded and she was on her way. Okay.

I’ll do the best I can to get it back to her in a timely manner. I’ve learned that life rarely goes the way I planned. And I’ve also learned that most folks think they should be first, no matter who was ahead of them in line.

Aren’t we all that way? We don’t want to wait. We hurry, hurry, hurry. We want to be first in line. All the time. And, yet, that isn’t the way we’re supposed to behave.

Several years ago I was at a church function and watched man rush forward the minute the potluck buffet line opened. I was appalled. Later he was back for seconds before everyone had made it through the line the first time. This was a man who should have known better. Maybe he thought he did. How sad.

It’s not fun being last, is it? At one function I attend every year, people line up based on when their table number is drawn. Last year we were next to last. There really wasn’t a lot of food left and several folks grumbled loudly. But, you know, somebody has to be last. Who says it shouldn’t be me or you?

Things have changed since I was young. We no longer allow the elderly to go first. We don’t always hold the door for someone else. We would never consider giving our seat up for someone else. And we wonder -- loudly -- where our country’s values have gone. Look in the mirror.

Every time we fail to put someone before ourselves, we are denying the gospel. Kindness matters. When you preach one moment and the next you are putting yourself first, you are being the hypocrite you profess to hate.

It’s not about you. It’s not about me. Really. It’s not.