Michelle Brock blogs at As4Me, “an attempt to catalog my struggles, growth, and learning in the process of teaching my children about God.” Mothers with young children might find her blog very profitable — but her auto-archive pulled up a post yesterday (originally written four years ago) that is a good challenge for all of us. Michelle graciously gave me permission to post the entire article here:
From the Archive: Me-First at the Grocery Store
The Story:
Several times today there have been tears because one person wanted to go down the playroom stairs when the other person wanted to go up. Somebody wanted the last raspberry yogurt. One child wanted all the cousins to leave the playroom so he could get dressed there (and not have to come downstairs to change in a bedroom or bathroom). When they understandably resisted, he because angry and distraught.
That’s not the beginning of today’s story, though. Today’s story begins last night, while Martha was watching all the cousins and I was leisurely shopping, taking the time to examine all the exotic groceries I never see in Alamogordo. They had fresh lemon grass! Mushrooms of all types! They even had some frozen orange chicken that was surprisingly tasty. Thoroughly enjoying myself, I started to pass an aisle when I saw the front of a cart appear. I had a split-second opportunity to make a choice: allow the shopper to pass me, or rush by, forcing her to wait until I had passed her. Technically I had just as much right to go first as she did; we arrived at the juncture at the same time. I made my decision, but immediately felt guilty.
As I told David this morning, God has been convicting me of doing the same thing I’ve been talking to them about. I had to tell him that I was selfish, too, when I decided my own interests were more important than the other lady at the grocery store. I wasn’t considering others better than myself last night, and as I think about it, perhaps more than I would care to admit I’ve been guilty of modeling a “me-first” attitude.
Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Philippians 2:3-5
Has God’s Word changed me? Humph. Not like I’d like it to. God is definitely helping me to be aware of when I have been selfish in this way. That’s change, but I still have a ways to go.
How about you? How is God’s Word changing how you think or act this week?
