The Mirror or the Window?
From the day we are born, life is all about us; we don't know anything else, and the adults around us tend to accommodate our every need and then some! It's only over time, through teaching and as a result of life experiences that we come to understand the truth: “Life is actually not all about me.” What a revelation, huh??!!
Sadly, we must own up to the fact that, in the 21st century, our society works hard to help us revert to those self-centered beginnings by pushing us to indulge in a self-focused lifestyle: make more money… for me; get a fancier car… for me; pad my resume with volunteer “work”… for me; make sure my kids behave in public… for me! The Cosmo subscription. Dr. Oz on DVR-repeat. Multiple elective cosmetic surgeries. The list goes on, and the validation of this self-absorption carries on. However, a question remains: “What does all of this get us at the end of the day?”
We – all of us – are called to a life that is far more selfless than selfish. True, God Himself has told us that we are a “royal priesthood’ and children of The King – there is absolutely nothing wrong with having healthy self-esteem. However, the Apostle Paul peeled it back a little further for us when he said “Don't be selfish; don't try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.” (Philippians 2:3)
It’s time to get out of the mirror and look out the window, because somebody out there doesn’t have a job or car; somebody doesn’t know how to raise their children well; someone else can’t read Cosmo even if they wanted to or doesn’t have a roof, let alone a DVR. We’ve got to get out of the mirror looking at ourselves so much and look out the window, because somebody out there needs us to see them… so we can help them. Paul issued us a very sobering caution: