John 3:20 “He must become greater; I must become less.”
(John the Baptist)
One of the great paradoxes of life
is that the more we make our lives about ourselves, the more miserable we will
be. To put it positively, the more we
use our lives to bless others, the more joy we will have. The sad thing about this truth is that I know
it and often, I still don’t live to bless others. There is this part of me that always wants me
to focus on me. Psychologists call this part the ego. Parker Palmer calls it
the “false self.” Whatever you call it,
it is insanely persistent in pursuing what it wants to the exclusion of
others.
One of the lies our ego would have
us believe is that, “I’m just taking care of myself, fulfilling my needs.” But self-care and self-love are not the same
as self-indulgence. If we are made to
fulfill a purpose that blesses and helps others, and I believe that we are,
then spending our lives simply trying to satisfy our appetites actually betrays
our true selves.
As is often case, I know this, but
I don’t do it even close to as much as I want.
I’m thankful for you all because you all help me hear the voice of my
true self. I have this deep desire to
see you all be blessed and I know that is the real me. Some of the most fulfilling times in my life
have been when I was immersed in doing things for others –I want to see more of
that guy. I’m working on that.
Question: Can you
describe the difference in how you feel when you are blessing others vs. when
you are being self-indulgent?
Prayer: God, you are,
by definition, love. You delight in
blessing us. We pray that we could
experience that delight in living for and loving each other.
Prayer Focus: Pray
for peace in the streets of our cities.
Song: Give it Away – Michael W. Smith
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