Making yourself comfortable …

This morning I had some time between appointments, so to save from unnecessary travel I dropped into a Starbucks for some coffee and the chance to get a few things done.

As I sat journaling at a table, a lady walked over to one of the more comfortable stuffed chairs, where she proceeded to raise the sun shade, rearrange her chair and the chair next to it, and move a table to a different location, all before settling in to read her newspaper. She never bothered to think of other patrons when raising the sun shade and allowing the sun to shine in brightly on everyone, or to inquire of the Starbucks personnel if she could rearrange the furniture. She simply did what she wanted to do to make herself comfortable in that environment.

How often do we behave that way in the multiple environments we find ourselves in … our homes, our places of employment, our schools, our churches, and our relationships? How often do we make sure everything is structured for our contentedness without so much a thought given to others?

Better yet, how often do we first see to the needs or comforts of others before we pursue our own? Or, at least, how often do we view the needs and comforts of others at least as important as our own? And how often do we first consider what God wants of and for us, rather than what we want?

Nothing could be further from being like Christ than putting ourselves first. Take a look at Philippians 2:3-6 …

“Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.”

Verse five poses the challenge for us: “You MUST have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.” Do you? If not, what are you going to do about that?

Scotty