Mankind, in general, is selfish. We want what we want now, and we think we deserve it.
I do believe if you are a follower of Jesus Christ, God puts inside you the desire to be selfless. This is part of the transformation process that happens as the Lord changes you from the inside out. This is something that most of us have to ask God daily to help us with, and something we have to confess we fail in at least occasionally.
I saw this problem of selfishness the other day while it was raining. The rain was steady but light and not pouring. We first went to a grocery store where I witnessed someone pulling up right in front, loading their groceries into their car. Others had to walk around them to get into the store while cars had to maneuver around them. Their reasoning didn’t seem to involve age or handicap — just privilege.
We then went to a store where someone chose to park right in front of it, causing others to have to go around their car or wait for oncoming traffic to pass to even get around them.
I don’t know what their profession of faith was, but if they were believers, they showed poor witness that day.
Before we get too self-righteous, we need to understand that all of us have to look in the mirror and face the reality that we all have things to work on. As the song writer penned, “God’s still working on me to make me what I ought to be.”
So what should we do? First, acknowledge the fact that there most likely are areas where we need to work on selfishness. Second, confess to our heavenly Father the need for forgiveness and help.
Next, we need to confess our need for forgiveness to others who are recipients of our selfishness.
And then, look each day for opportunities to show a selfless attitude. What we will end up doing is forming good habits. A selfless life will become a way of life.