One of the first things we need to learn as a baby is that life isn’t all about me. It may take a while to figure that out because when we’re so tiny and cute and helpless life kind of is all about us for a while. But when our parents finally decide that it’s time for us to sleep through the night and that we really don’t need to eat every hour, we begin the life-long process of learning that the world does not revolve around me.
When we get old enough to interact with siblings and friends, our parents begin teaching us to play well with others. For most of us it doesn’t come naturally. We have to learn that we can’t just grab a toy away from our big brother. We aren’t supposed to hit our baby sister just because she’s sitting in mom’s lap and that’s where we want to be. We aren’t allowed to pull a little friend off the rocking horse in the church nursery.
As we grow older we have many more opportunities to learn…
- we can’t always have everything we want
- we can’t always make everything go the way we want it to go
- we can’t always do what we want to do
- we aren’t always right
And hopefully over the years we also begin to realize that no matter how well we understand the principle that life isn’t always about me, it will be a constant battle to actually live out our lives in a way that reflects that understanding.
God tells us in Philippians 2:3, “When you do things, do not let selfishness or pride be your guide. Instead, be humble and give more honor [regard; value] to others than to yourself.”
The next time you find yourself in a situation where you have a strong opinion or preference about something, and someone else has a very different plan, stop and take a breather. Remind yourself that “life isn’t about me.”
by Bernice Gudgel