At least, isn’t that often how we seem to approach life?

Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. –

Have you heard the song “Always Been About You” by fellowship creative? (Here’s a 30 second sample on Amazon if you’re curious: Always Been About You). In the song, Fellowship Creative extolls how much everything is about God:

And it’s always been about love
It’s always been about grace
It’s always been about hope
And it’s always been about faith
It’s always been about peace
It’s always been about truth
Everything that’s ever been before
It’s always been about you

Unfortunately, I could simply rewrite every ‘it’s always been’ line in the whole chorus with the following:  “It’s always been about me.”  It is so much ‘easier’ – at least in the short term, to just think about myself.  What I want.  What would serve me. What I can get.

Let’s take a look at Imaginary Jim:

Jim’s driving home from work, and he observes two cars involved in what seems like a fairly serious accident. He thinks to himself: ‘oh – that’s happened already, someone has surely called 911’ and continues to drive on, perhaps saying a ‘little prayer’ for those involved before letting his mind wander back to what’s going to happen in the next episode of Once Upon the Walking Dead in Broadchurch or whatever show he’s currently watching.

The next day, at work, the internet goes down, and everyone’s gotten frustrated – apparently there’s something wrong with the ISP and IT can’t do anything about it, and they’ve sent out notice that they are working on the problem.  Within 10 minutes of downtime, Jim is joining everyone else in the office with texting the help desk with requests for updates and status as to the network. “Hey – I need the internet!” “When’s the internet coming back up?” “I can’t get any work done, what are you people even doing?!” Later, when the network is restored, no one sends a thank you to IT for working to get it fixed, and the help desk staff continues execute their routine duties without any affirmation or acknowledgement.

 

In both of these situations, who is Jim thinking about?  How difficult would it be to call 911, just to be sure that help gets to where it needs to go?  What would it look like to be patient and wait to see what IT says about a situation before assailing them with requests? Jim is quick to seek satisfaction when it’s something that affects him, and slow to seek assistance when it’s about someone else.

We should be striving to make our lives look like that chorus above – where people can look at what we do and say, and think: “They live their life as if everything is about God” – because in the end, it’s not about us, it’s about Him.

What about you?  Can you find areas in your life where you are slow to put the needs of others first, and where you demand that others serve you?

Oh – and thank your IT department right now.  No one ever does – they’ll be thrilled =)