Tag: selfishness

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He’s Back…

Yesterday, I was in a conference call in the morning that got a little tense.  It was really no big deal in the scheme of things, and for the most part was just a misunderstanding of who was going to do what part of this project that we are all working together on.  I felt good about the meeting, and I knew that this topic would come up.  During the first minutes of the meeting I proclaimed to a coworker via instant message  that I was going “to take a new tact”.

Then it got tense, and there we some mild disagreements and debates and I felt him coming back.  Who do you ask?  Me!  The selfish, short tempered, brash me.  And I could sense that others where seeing, or I guess in this case hearing him as well.  ARGH!  Now, I had a platform to stand on that was well positioned.  More than likely I may have even been in the “right”.  But really, it’s not about me, and the tone that was coming across the phone was changing the tone of the meeting in the negative in a hurry. ARGH!

Later in the day I watch a video clip about how we live lives behind veneers.  The talk presented two views the human view and the God view.  Interestingly enough the human view was about well, the human itself, and the God view was about all the other humans on this earth.  It all ended with a fantastic summation and a challenge – are we exposing the human like veneer or the God like veneer?  Is it about me, or is it about everyone else.

It seems to me that life actually works out better when we take the God like approach and focus on others.  Somehow in some way, that way always seems to have some way of making it better in the end for us!  Yet, we still want to put ourselves in the lead.  It’s quite a paradox!

Well, I hope I was able to push myself back into the background as the meeting went on.  What I do know is that the rest of the day, I felt like a black cloud of frustration was hanging over my head, since I know I let him back!  The great thing is that I have a new day to start over and let God shine in my interactions.

How about you?  Are you choosing the human like thing or the God like thing?

 

 1 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

 5In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

Philippians 2:1-5 New International Version (NIV)
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Making Others Better

Man its tough.  Trying to understand that at times your only purpose in life to to help others.  The selfish impulses that are woven deep inside of us want to take over and push the others out of the way. However, when you are able to swallow pride, develop some patience and provide assistance to others it always seems better in the end.

I know that when I do that I am a better spouse, father, and co worker.  So what is it still so difficult to not just chuck those people to the wind and move on with out them?  Casting aside a personal agenda for the sake of other seem so fundamentally wrong when we examine ourselves, yet is is the cry of the Christ.

16 “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” (Matthew 20:16, New International Version, ©2011)

and there’s this

25 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. (Matthew 16:25, New International Version, ©2011)

So, today, I am trying to figure out how to lose myself, how to give up on my personal agenda and how to make the others that I am blessed to be around better. Any ideas?

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Sell out

I am sure you could guess that yesterday’s post was only half a thought, because I don’t think that when Jesus says “sell all” and “give” that he is only referring to material things.  I think he is referring to our complete selves.   This is the thought that I have been struggling with all week, because its such hard thing to do.  Even this morning as I prepare for the work day and recount activities from yesterday, I find myself frustrated about events, when upon closer examination that frustration is more about my point of view or the may I felt I was treated.  If I have sold out to the Christ, then my take on that situation is so totally different.  Yeah, sure, maybe somethings are not the way they should be, and maybe some people are not being completely open and truthful, but hey, my sold out response will be much kinder, and full of mercy, because I will be focused on what truly matters.

So what I am really taking about.  Well, its in found in Philippians 3:8:

8Nothing is as wonderful as knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have given up everything else and count it all as garbage. All I want is Christ (CEV)

Paul says he considers everything else as garbage!  Some translation say rubbish, dung, or worthless.  WOW!  I read that verse and I say “yeah, but what about my…..”.  It’s tough.  It’s one of those stumper verses.  HOW?

Now you see where my mind has been this week.  It’s not really about T-shirts, although that’s a symptom.  It’s about knowing Christ and understanding how much better that is then anything else in the world, and then living that way.

You should read the whole of Philippians 3, but take a look at this broader context:

7But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. 10I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. 12Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

I am just like Paul,  I have not taken hold of this yet, however this thought has captivated my mind.  And since I am pretty visual this little mini-movie brings this home as well.  Take a moment some time today to view this video:

Ponder this today.  What do you own, what do you do, what do you think about that is better the knowing Christ.  Can you count it as garbage? Will you help me to?

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Who Is It About

Yesterday, I was in the all day affair that I was flown up here for when I was asked my opinion about a direction or standard.  I replied with the acutal directional statement.  Its one that I believe in, but its still early in development.  A few minutes after this one of my coworkers in the room, responded provided her thoughts on this standards, and ripping it to shreds with a lot of emotion and frustration. 

As she was going through her “rant”, I dropped in to a dream sequence.  I saw myself.  I thought of the way I had handle situations like this in the past.  I thought about my response to her at this moment, which deep in side was probably a kin to reaching across the table and doing bodily harm! However, I also thought about wy I would want to do that, the value, the message, and how I could use this to show the transformation that I strive for everyday, and then as she finished up I thought about Colossians 3:7

7You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived.

The comments were quickly deferred to a a more appropriate setting to address by another co worker, who beat me to the punch at saying that, and the meeting moved on.  However, her frustration with the direction continued the rest of the day.  And so, I continued to think about how to address this, and I realized that my job was not to defend myself, and to prove that I was correct.  It’s not about me.   My job is to make her better.  And that is what I will strive to do. 

What about you, what about your conflicts.  Who is it about?

12Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Col 3 (NIV)