Selfish: This word will conjure up some kind of image in your mind, either a person or event where someone proved to you that they were selfish.
Apparently when I was a teenager my siblings saw me as very selfish – only into my own thing, not really caring about anybody else’s things. I probably was.
Years ago a lady who was my walking partner said something to me I have never forgotten – ‘a person will either be a taker or a giver but you can never be both.’ It has stuck with me.
As I have matured over the years I have had to do a lot of work on this one. It is easy to be self-centered. It is where ‘me’, ‘I’, only matter; a taker. I live in my little bubble of a world and if I decide to step out or let you enter in, it will be at my and only my discretion.
The problem is that when we live this way, the world collides with our bubble. There is no life in this world where other people or events will not come into our bubble. This can create havoc, anxiety or even anger on behalf of the bubble dweller.
Selfishness is ugly – no other word for it.
A person who lives a selfish life has no real time or energy to spend on behalf of others. If it is convenient for me then I might expend myself if you need help or something from me. Other people can spot a selfish person from a long way off and truth be told they would rather head the other way than hang around them. It can be painful to live with someone who is only concerned about themselves, the conversation centers around the “I” and rarely do they ask about “you”. These kinds of people rarely pick up the phone to call you and see how you are, you do the reaching out to make the connection if it is going to happen.
Interestingly, the givers will read this and wonder if the selfish person is them, the takers will read this and know it is definitely “not” about them.
The Bible tells us that they will know we are Christians by our “fruit”. That is what do others see in our life, how would they describe us? Do we leave a trail of good behind us, do people feel better when they have been in our presence?
I got a compliment a few weeks ago and it made me realize, that maybe I have some “fruit” trailing behind me. I do not think the person who said it realized how important what they said was to me. It is so important, that I cried when I came away from the conversation because it is how I want to live my life. I know I still have lots of work to do on this one but God gave me a glimpse.
They said, “I love spending time with you because you always make me want to get closer to God.”
I love that, if I can share my life with others and leave knowing they are on a journey to getting closer to God, then my life will be full.
I heard a testimony the other day that rocked my world. It rocked my world probably for reasons other than you would think.
It was the testimony of Margy Mayfield. Margy is woman just like the rest of us, nothing super human about her and yet she changed the lives of many in just one day.
Her day starts out like any other she was headed out to do some errands. God had her meet her fate in a parking lot of K-Mart at the hands of a wanted serial rapist and murderer. He was on the FBI’s most wanted list for 10 years, keeping one step ahead of the law and killing women in the process, he had just killed his last victim 12 hours prior to meeting Margy.
Margy’s story is incredible and supernatural all at the same time. Her testimony is about 35 minutes long. One of the most fascinating listens you will hear.
Her story rocked my world because I hope I am like her. I want people to see Jesus in me and I want to be faithful to God to not judge others by what my eyes see.
Link to Margy’s Testimony:
** End Note: Stephen Morin was killed by lethal injection in 1985 in Texas. Margy went to see him in prison just before he was executed. The warden cried at the thought of Stephen dying because Stephen had led many in jail to be saved. The warden himself said he was a Christian but Stephen taught him the real Jesus.