IT’S NOT ALL ABOUT ME

It’s not my job to think about myself.

It’s my job to think about others.

It’s God’s job to think about me.

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time.”

1 Peter 5:6

Imagine my surprise when one day it was pointed out that I always made everything be all about me.

I’m sure few of us believe that we make everything be all about us, but I do think it happens more frequently than we realize.

For instance, what’s your first reaction when something occurs that inconveniences you?  Do you say, “No biggie.  I understand why she must reschedule.  I’ll just change my plans and notify the others.”  Or is your first thought something like, “Bummer, I had everything all set, and her rescheduling makes extra work for me.”  If you are a gracious, considerate person, your initial response is probably the first one: “No biggie.”  I confess my initial response used to be the second: “Bummer!”

I honestly didn’t realize that I looked at the world through the lens of what I wanted or needed.

One time we had out-of-town guests coming to stay with us for a few days.  I was very excited and had made many plans for their visit.  Shortly before their scheduled visit, they called me to say certain circumstances had changed on their end, and they would have to shorten their stay with us.

I was hurt by this news –I took it rather personally that they were choosing to let these other circumstances take precedence over their long-planned visit with us.  Unfortunately, I let my hurt and disappointment show, which was not well-received.  They were hurt that I didn’t understand and accept their changed circumstances.  They asked me, “Why does everything always have to be about you?”

What a mess it turned into! 

I got very little sleep that night because of this situation. How could they be so mean as to say everything always had to be about me?

The next day at work, I sought out my co-worker, who was a dear friend.  She was one of those friends you could always depend upon to see things clearly and tell you the truth.  I related the entire incident to her, finishing up with, “And they said everything always has to be about me.  They are so unfair!”

I expected her to see things my way, but instead, she responded, “Well, why does it have to be about you?”  She agreed with my out-of-town guests on this matter!  I was stunned!  But I also noted that I had now heard the same thing about myself from two different sources within the last 12 hours.  When that happens, I tend to stop and think.  God often gets my attention by having me hear the same information from two or three sources in a short time frame, and I believed He was trying to get my attention in this matter.

Was it possible my dear friend and my out-of-town guests were right?

This was a tricky thing to take in.  No one wants to be openly criticized and told they are wrong.  I certainly didn’t.  But I have learned through my relationship with Jesus that He will often use others in my life to clue me into changes I need to make to become a better person.  And along with letting me know of changes that I need to make, He is gracious to show me the root cause of my issues.

In this case, I realized I was in the habit of thinking about myself first because I was afraid that if I didn’t think of myself, nobody else would, and whatever was important to me would be ignored.

Soon after, I came across the saying at the beginning of this post: “It is not my job to think about myself.  It is my job to think about others.  It is God’s job to think about me.”

What God was trying to show me was something I wrote about in an earlier post: 

He is always with me, and He cares about my feelings.  All He asks is that I trust Him to take care of me and everything concerning me.  He’s got His eye on me, and I’m covered! 

That event occurred many years ago, and I’m glad to say that ever since, I find it easy to respond in the “no biggie” way!  I have learned that I can live contentedly, understanding that it doesn’t have to be all about me!  And actually, that makes life much easier and more pleasant! What a beautiful difference!