Me? Self centered?

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Jonah 1:2-3     “Arise, go to Nineveh; that great city, and call out against it.”  But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.  He went  down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish  So he paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.

Proverbs 16:3     Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.

Proverbs 19:21     Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand

Psalm 26:2     Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; Try my mind and my heart.   ****

Psalm 139:23-24     Search me, O God, and know my heart!  Try me and know my thoughts!  See if there is any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!   ****

Mark 12:31, 33     The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’  There is no other commandment greater than these. . . . And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”     

Luke 9:23    And He said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me.      

Philippians 2:3-8     Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant that yourselves.  Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.  Have this in mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God al thing to be grasped, but empties Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by being obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 

James 3:14-16      But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth.  This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.  For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.

James 4:1-3     What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you?  Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?  You desire and do not have, so you murder.  Yu covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel.  You do not have, because you do not ask.  You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions

      

We, I think all people, but since I am not sure of that, I will go with of the folks I know, all think or have thought, and believe(d) they are/were very much the cause of their destiny.  It seems we are all predestined to be full of our needs, our successes, our challenges, and how WE will fix them–and freely make those known.   By the time we are school age we are pretty convinced we make most of our own successes–good grades in school, excel at sports in different games, maybe we are good at arithmetic/math, spelling, reading, and we feel we are a good buddy or sibling or some relationship with others.    We are learning we can gain control as we get older, have more responsibility.  So we are the ones responsible for or life.

As infants, I believe that is a good and necessary thing.  They have true needs that must be tended to for their health—food, fluids, changing diapers and other skin care, sleep, and interaction and love.  If they do not have these necessities, they will develop ‘failure to thrive.’   A baby cannot fend for itself and has needs—food, fluids, and cleaning after excretions.   One article I read was very much saying that as innocent infants crying for those needs is the start of a human’s all self-centered, selfish, and concerned only with its own needs and gains.  I tend to disagree, as I believe God instilled in infants the need to be fed, cleaned, and clothed, and spoken to and loved.  I will say as a nurse, seeing babies who were not afforded that care, many were ‘failure to thrive’ which meant they did not strive to interact, they fussed for a minimal of food because they had already learned they would only get a small amount, and they tended to be smaller than normal for their age and growth chart.  But it was always the lack of interaction that caused me heartache.   Perhaps it was a child of autism and as yet too early to do testing, but there were several signs of neglect that would twist me up and I would want to scoop these children safely away.

Anyway, we humans tend to think first and foremost of ourselves.  And we believe we are in charge, in control.  And we pridefully believe it until we aren’t; maybe it’s a medical diagnosis, a severe accident, life occurrences, or a job loss, or losing a home to natural disaster or whatever.   We try to get the best deal for us first and foremost, not for a sibling or a friend.  Occasionally, there is one who will decide for the greater good of others rather than him or herself, but generally the cause is weighed in how it will turn out best for us.   

I can remember thinking how generous and grandiose I was giving away the marshmallow chicks from my Easter basket to my siblings.  ‘What a great sister.’  But the truth is, I don’t like marshmallow unless it is melted into hot chocolate.  There was nothing generous or giving in my behavior.  Sometimes I still give things away with the same process—a favored shirt, pair of pants, or dress being donated, but with regret….and the fact it no longer fits.   

I no longer believe that I am in charge of all the outcomes in my life.  Although I may still try to “argue” and convince God of why my decision is better for me than what He wants sometimes, I know God is in charge.  Sometimes there are testing times He puts in my path to “test and check the response of my heart”.   He checks out our true motives and reactions.  And although I think God already knows when I am being selfish, self-centered, and not following motives with the heart He wants to see from me; I think sometimes He tests us so WE can see our motives are not altruistic.

But most people who do not believe God is the Creator and the One in control, think they are totally in charge of anything that befalls them—and for all the good decisions and blessings that come their way.  All their successes and achievements are totally of their own making.  I don’t know what they think when the bad things that occur in life happen.  Nor do I know how they struggle through these events.

I, at least know, that God’s in charge and all will work for the best for me. That is one of His promises.  Many who are non-believers in my family ask in a challenging manner, ‘What about death?’   I certainly don’t think death is a horrible thing.  I won’t do anything foolish, but I’m rather excited to meet Jesus, see heaven, and thank Them for all the help They have given in my life. 

I am still selfish and self-centered in many ways, although even I can see a bit of improvement, since it is easier to listen and obey the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the corrections I get.  I am not as anxious and fearful and easily able to fall into the ‘doom and gloom’ of much of the world any longer.  With God, life is a win-win.  The only losing comes if one does not believe in God and choose Jesus as Savior.  I have to say unequivocally Hell is a definite loss.  So is believing you are solely in charge.  I know I have made some poor decisions and have made better ones seeking God’s will and design for my life. Life is a progression; I pray I progress toward God’s will for my life.

I am so glad I chose to follow You and You have positively directed my steps for me and ‘mybellaviews’.