Selfishness

Something that I thought a lot about today...

Something I didn't think much about today...

Without even knowing it, I allow myself to be completely focused on myself all day. If we sat down and counted how many times we would think about "ourselves" every day and then counted how often we thought about "others", we would probably be quite shocked at ourselves. I know when I thought about it I was. I haven't counted the times I thought about myself, but here's a few thoughts that have most likely gone through not only my mind, but many others too...  "What shall I wear? What will I eat? What work do I need to do? When should I go to the shop? What do I need from the shop? How much exercise will I do? Should I do my washing today? Will I get rained on if I go outside?" These may all seem little nothing thoughts but they are purely focused on us. I'm not saying this is a bad thing, but I think realising the inward focus that we have for ourselves is the first step in looking to put our thoughts towards others. We do still need to make choices about what we will wear and what we will eat, I don't think we can stop these thoughts, but I think what we need to realise is the fact that we have that choice to make. There are many others out there that don't get to choose what to wear, because all they've got is one sack. They don't get to choose what to eat, because they simply have no food. They don't get to choose whether they will go outside when it may possibly rain, because they don't have adequate shelter to stay inside and keep dry.

I think, for myself, that I need to start remembering others more often. I live in luxury compared to what some people live with, yet I don't see it and I still think about myself more. Instead, I need to start thinking about others and what I can do to help them rather than what I can do to help me. Even in my own neighbourhood there are people in need, and a lot of the time I don't "see" them because I am focused on the things that I need to do or where I need to be. Sometimes I have ignored them because I don't believe I can help them and again, I've got my own things to do. It's a selfish way of living and not the way God had intended for us to live. If we see a need, God wants us to reach out and to help in any way we can. If we can't fix it, the least we can do is pray! Prayer will show a person love which is what God wants us to do. 

It's like the story of the good Samaritan in the Bible in Luke 10:25-37. A priest and a Levite saw a man in need and ignored them, most likely going along and doing things that they felt they needed to do, but the Samaritan stopped what he was doing to take care of this man. Do you ever stop what you're doing to help someone else? If you were walking somewhere and came across a little old lady struggling with shopping bags, would you stop to help her home? Most of the time, it can be a simple little thing that can bring the greatest help and love to others. I'm going to be more conscious of how much I think about myself from now on and try to think more of others. 

Thankful for: Community Services

We have a bunch of people in our church that run the local "community services". They provide a range of different services to the community to help those in need. They help those with financial issue, family issues and drug problems. They run an opshop and give to the homeless. They provide food to families when they have no money and a family to feed. They are an amazing bunch of people and their hearts are always growing. So I am thankful that we have people like this in our community.