From the Pulpit: Break cycle of selfishness through God's love
Two friends went camping out in the woods. They woke up the first morning and were standing by their tent having their first cup of coffee for the day when they suddenly spotted a grizzly bear heading for them at full speed. Quickly, one man reached down and grabbed his tennis shoes and started putting them on. The other man looked at him and said, “What are you doing? Do you think you can outrun that grizzly bear?” And the first man said, “No, and I don’t need to. All I need to do is to outrun you!”
We may chuckle at that, but it does speak to the rampant mindset in our society today: selfishness. Every person for himself or herself.
Because people tend to get wrapped up in selfishness, there is an inclination for people to care only for themselves. They become the focus of their own affections.
When we become the focus of life, we cannot see what God so desperately wants us to see… Him and His love for us, and the fact that everyone around us is hungry to be loved, too.
If someone were to ask you, “Deep in your heart of hearts, what is the one thing you really want in life?” how would you respond? Think about your deepest desire as a person, as a human being, as a child of God. Deep down in your soul, what do you want most in your life?
Many live their life in such a way so they won’t have to think about these questions. They take steps to distract themselves from these concerns. And they do this by making sure that anytime they get an “itch” they scratch it. They get what they want, when they want it. Adopting this mindset causes selfishness to take over.
Unfortunately, selfishness keeps the focus of life on oneself, and the heck with what anyone else needs. That selfishness serves only to mask the deeper question in life because many people are afraid of what the answer might be.
Again, deep in your heart of hearts, what is the one thing you really want in life? The vast majority of people in this world want to know that their life matters, that they are a person of worth, that they have something to offer to help make this world, or at least one little part of it, a little bit better. In part, they want to know that they have loved others well and they have been loved well in return.
Do I matter? Am I loved? Do I love others? Yes. Yes. You can.
You have been created in love by God. He has a purpose for your life. Will you allow yourself to accept the fact that you do matter, that you are loved, and that you are capable of loving others?
How can you know? Believe and accept God’s love is all around you. It’s in you. How can you know that? In John’s letter he said, “We know what real love is because Christ gave up his life for us.”
That’s how you can know.
Jesus gave up His life for you. He said before He died, “There is no greater love than this, that one should give his life for a friend.”
This is what He did. He was so selfless, so concerned for those around him, so desirous of wanting the absolute best for every person, that He gave everything He had — including His own life. This is real love. And in His real love is where real life can be found.
Know you are loved by God. Accept His love. Love him back. Give away His love. Many things in your life will change for the better when you do this.
What’s the one thing you want in life more than anything else? You may only now just beginning to recognize what it is… to be loved by God, to love God back and to show God’s love to others. This will help you break the cycle of selfishness and give you the kind of fulfillment that you are truly looking for.
The Rev. Mark Broadhead is pastor at Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church of Laurel Hill at 8115 Fourth St. in Laurel Hill (phone 652-2164) and the First Presbyterian Church of Crestview, at the intersection of U.S. Highway 90 and State Road 85 in the heart of Crestview (phone 682-2835). Sunday morning worship is at 9 a.m. in Laurel Hill and 11 a.m. in Crestview. Web site: www.firstpresbyterian-crestview.org.
