Giving Up Our Obsession with Self
Giving God His reward
The North Dakota plains make you appreciate the gifts of God.
For when it’s 100 degrees in the shade …
God loves to give us precious gifts.
So you enjoy an icy drink, lounge around in an air-conditioned apartment, and read a book or watch a movie without feeling any discomfort.
And when the wind is a brisky 45 degrees below zero and it’s snowing and the ground it already covered with 6 inches of snow, you drink a hot chocolate, turn up the heat, and snuggle deep in your most comfy blanket … and feel safe and secure that all is right in your world.
For God gifts you with a world where everyone is working together to keep the lights on and our homes a fortress. And even though mother nature can often be unkind, you expect your local electric company to do their best work, even in the most difficult situations.
That’s how complacent we have become.
And how dependent we are on each other.
And, in truth, that’s how dependent we are on God.
For we are helpless children who need God’s love and care to get us through each and every day. And when we realize everything we are and everything we do depends on God …
depends on God’s blessings …
we begin to see our lives in a new light.
We begin to see our life from the perspective of being helpful instead of arrogant. We begin to see the world from the perspective of “how can I make life better for others as well as for myself?” We even begin to see the truth that, all too often, we have in the past been so self-absorbed that we didn’t realize that others depended on us and what we did or didn’t do.
And our self-obsession led to our failure to do what was right.
But seeing ourselves from the perspective of self-awareness …
Seeing ourselves with Christ-awareness …
helps us become better human beings.
For we become infused with a new sense of purpose. We develop a keen desire to be more Christ-like; a desire to be more loving, more kind, more good-hearted,
In short, we see ourselves more clearly from the eyes of the Lord. And we realize that we have failed … for our one true goal in life is to be the best person we can be. To be the best version of who we were born to be.
All for the glory of ….
God.
All so God gets the credit for creating us in the first place.
When we can give God His reward for creating our better self, we are fulfilling our destiny.
And we are living according to God and His plan.
For God’s plan is that we each were born to follow Him, be guided by His wisdom, and walk in His light.
And love Him and His way to the best of our ability. For God is Love.
God’s love for each of us is unconditional. Undeniable. Undisputable.
God is love everlasting.
So, whatever you do, whenever you’re doing it, thank the good Lord for what He has given you and for all that he has done for you. And especially thank Him for your being able to be the best you can possibly be.
And then be … become … that person God wants you to be