We recently had all six of our grandchildren at our home. There are all under 5 years of age. We ate, played, swam and distracted the little ones from what seemed to be certain meltdowns, because one of the cousins or siblings took a toy or a turn that wasn’t “theirs.” You know how children can act.
Then there are the adults, and we complain about someone getting in front of us in traffic, or getting our parking spot, or an acknowledgement at work that we never received, but felt we deserved.
Well, these aren’t the same. Of course not. These scenarios are entirely different. Of course they are. I mean, we would never stoop so low as to act like selfish children. Would we?
The truth is, we do often act like children.
- When things don’t go our way.
- When we get overlooked.
- When we are not mentioned or acknowledged.
- When life just isn’t fair.
- When we feel like we got the short end of the stick.
We may not fall on the ground and throw a temper tantrum, (in public) but we might give someone the silent treatment. We might avoid someone for a while. We might say something rude and insensitive that could hurt their feelings. But the worst thing is, we will justify it in some weird way. Let’s be honest, there is no justifying it. You can call it what you want, all day long, it’s still selfishness.
Here’s what the Bible says, Philippians 2:3-4 “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.”
The word of the day is unselfish. Determine today, that you will not allow any selfishness to rule your life. But instead you will walk in unselfishness.
Stay Free,
Kendall Bridges