I am a work-in-progress

My friend Slacker asked for advice on how to be more self-less and less selfish.

Here’s my perspective, for what it’s worth—sometimes the thought of being selfless seems completely contradictory, because how does one really and truly do that? So often other “things” cloud our vision, we see the long-term outcome, thinking of our rewards for being in just the right place at just the right time, doing that showy Pharisaical prayer in front of a crowd, thinking ourselves bigger than we are because we give a tithe/offering above what “most” people give—forgetting completely who blessed us with the job and the ability to do it in the first place, so that we might pay our bills, that we might have a roof over our heads, being prideful instead of humble, acting as if “I am the man!”. As followers of Christ, I’d like to point out, cockiness… not attractive.

Instead of doing whatever it is we are called to do as unto our Lord, instead of listening closely to that still small voice, or that gentle nudge God gives us when he wants us to go in one direction over the other. One example: when you see a distraught person in a public place… stepping outside your comfort zone and asking the question: “are you alright?” or “hey, can I do something for you?” Letting down your guard just long enough to be Christ to this world, to really, I mean really SEE this world for what it is. Dying, suffering, aching to be loved, loved without strings, longing to be treated with compassion.

To be who God asks us to be, selfless… this means, finding those people who will hold you accountable for your actions, more than that—daily asking, ASKING God to reveal himself to you, and on top of that asking, requesting with a sincere heart, the scary-part, “Lord give me the courage to do what you want, let me be more of you and less of me.”