The title of this post is from a poem that I wrote a few years ago. I thought it might bless YOU!
Something great happened On the day you were born Something that touched people’s lives The hard work was over The promise fulfilled The receipt of the sought-after prize. Your family rejoiced On that wonderful day For your presence changed everything A welcomed addition A blessed event A new life that came into being Your needs were many In those earliest days But your family was always there To give you their strength To give you their love To give you their most tender care In time you grew up So you could stand on your own And give back to your family so true To give them your strength To give them your love To give them the best of you Your family was blessed On that day you were born But your heavenly Father, even more He saw you that day He knew you’d believe For He called you a long time before Your first birth was needed For you to arrive At the place you would answer God’s call Now you’re born again Now His seed lives within Now God is the happiest of all As much as you’re loved By your mom and dad God’s love is far greater yet For you are His child For you are His joy It was YOU that He yearned to get*
Those of us who are parents know what the birth of a child means to us. It is probably one of the greatest highlights of our lives, and one of the hardest at the same time. That beautiful baby that we anxiously waited for so long to arrive, was finally here! But taking care of them could be unexpectedly difficult. Newborns are pretty much helpless, so their needs are many and their demands are fairly constant. Add to that sleepless nights and lifestyle interruptions, and parents can feel overwhelmed. I can’t tell you how many times I cried right along with my newborn because I didn’t know what else to do. But looking back now, I consider those moments to be some of my most precious experiences because I have great kids, and I love them a lot.
Although, I can’t remember my own infancy, I know that my parents must have shared a lot of the same emotions and experiences because they loved me. They wanted me to grow up straight and tall. They cared for me and taught me in the best way that they knew how. I can still hear my mom’s voice admonishing me, “The world does not revolve around YOU!” (Boy, did she say that a lot!) Her point in saying that was to teach me not to be selfish. All children need to be taught this because their lives begin with the whole world revolving around them of necessity. Loving parents understand this and are happy to take care of their children. But they also know that their children must learn that cannot stay self-centered. A well-rounded life is an unselfish one.
We probably all have known people in our lives who are self-centered. Sometimes they are not so pleasant to be around. I knew someone once that no matter what you said on any topic, she could turn it around to be about her. I used to marvel at her skill for doing that. I would intentionally say things from time to time that I thought she couldn’t possibly turn around, but it seemed she always managed to do so. It’s actually kind of sad for those folks because they are missing so much of life’s fulfillment by keeping their thoughts so focused on themselves.
The reason we cannot be selfish is because of the principle of giving and receiving. It is a Godly principle that always works. Selfish people seldom give, so they seldom receive. And since they are not receiving what they need (or think they want), their attention is spent on their lack. And their efforts center on taking what they need instead of receiving it.
So, we see that being selfish is not a good thing. But does that mean that we should never think about ourselves? Of course not. There are always times that we must focus on our own lives. Times of need, times of celebration, times of reflection all come to mind as ‘self-caring’ times. It is okay and necessary to take care of ourselves. If we don’t, we won’t have anything to give, and we’ll end up not receiving what we need either.
Perhaps, you might have had thoughts like I did. Selfishness was so appalling to me that for a long time in my adult life, I didn’t take care of myself. I tried to be constantly giving because I felt that receiving was selfish. The result was that my needs grew and my ability to give shrank. Eventually, I was so depleted that I began to fail at everything I did. This resulted in my thinking, “what is wrong with me?” Although, I didn’t realize it at the time, that was being selfish. My thoughts were constantly filled with my own inadequacies, and my focus was always on my failures.
My deliverance came when I realized my importance to God. God chose me and YOU before the foundation of the world to be His children! He knew on the day we were born that we would answer His call. He knew that we would be His sons whom He would love with all His heart! Sons that He would rejoice about having in His family! That makes me and YOU very special! Oh, I’m still inadequate on my own, I know that. But God made me and YOU adequate to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light. (Colossians 1:12) He gave me and YOU the gift of holy spirit. We have His abilities in us now. And we have access to God’s unlimited resources!
Thinking of ourselves in these Godly terms is never selfish because we are giving the glory to God, and not boasting of ourselves. We never have to feel second-rate because we belong to the family of the one true God. We never have to suffer need because God promised that He will supply all our need (Philippians 4:19). And we are sufficient because God made us so.
2 Corinthians 9:8
And God is able to make all grace abound toward YOU (and me); that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:
Having been given all these abilities allows us to freely give and freely receive God’s blessings. We need never be selfish because God cares so fully and completely for us that our thoughts can be unincumbered by worries. We know that God is always able to be whatever we need Him to be; and to provide whatever we need Him to provide. Claiming all these promises isn’t selfish, it is confessing the truth of God’s Word.
It might seem like a paradox, but our most unselfish thoughts come from always remembering who we are and what we have in Christ. When we are thankful for all that we’ve been given, and rejoice in all of God’s blessings, we will be ready, willing, and able to be our best for God and follow His example of unselfishness.
Romans 8:32
He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
YOU and I can be thankful for our earthly families who did their best to raise us properly. And YOU and I can be thankful to our Heavenly Father who called us both to a life of peace that surpasses our understanding. There is no room for selfishness in our lives because God has filled YOU and me with all spiritual blessings through the new birth, which is Christ in YOU (and me), the hope of glory!
Note to my readers: YOU are special to God! And to me! Thanks for reading!
*Poem is personal property of Terri Lee