April 9, 2016

Put Others First

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

Yesterday we made the bi-weekly trek to the grocery store. Parking, especially the handicapped slots, were at a premium. I noticed two men loading groceries into their car and I waited patiently for them to finish, get in their car and leave. I sat with my blinker on, clearing waiting. You know what I am about to say, don’t you? Someone came up and snagged the spot that was supposed to be mine.

You probably want me to say it was okay. Really, it wasn’t. My Mother has trouble walking and it’s a long way from the parking lot to the front door of the grocery store. In my mind, she trumps the stranger who stole “our” parking space.

How ridiculous! At the end of the day, does it really matter? The other driver wasn’t worth getting upset about. I had to tell myself that several times. Because, you see, it wasn’t about a parking space.

Don’t we all hate when other people -- even strangers -- don’t value us? It’s really upsetting not to be first! Except, Paul clearly tells us we aren’t supposed to be first.

That’s all well and good when we apply it to someone else. That woman shouldn’t have taken the space I was waiting to get. She should have put me first. Or, better yet, my Mother first. She should have waited her turn.

It’s not so easy when we’re the ones who are being called to consider others before ourselves. She might have been searching for a spot for sometime. She clearly wasn’t good at parking because she had to try several times before she made it into the spot. I should give her the benefit of the doubt, as the saying goes.

How often this plays out in our lives. We don’t want people to cut in front of us in traffic. We don’t want to wait in line. We want to have all our needs met immediately and let others wait.

Life doesn’t work that way. Sometimes we have to step back and let someone else be first. Not because it is their “right” but because it is what we are called to do.

Think about it: Do you look more like Jesus when you are demanding your right to be first or when you are graciously allowing someone else to take that slot? Choose to be like Jesus.