selflessness

“Above all the grace and the gifts that Christ gives to his beloved
is that of overcoming self.”
-St. Francis of Assisi

I’ve been traveling on a very interesting road these past few months. From the blind corner of Autumn, in which I found myself walking my mom through her brain surgery, to the surprising discoveries that followed, it has led me to this particular truth: I am selfish.

And, after listening to a million news stories accounting the details of last week’s Black Friday, I have a strong suspicion I am not alone. Fights over pink dollhouses. Stealing tickets to get the steals and deals of electronic “must haves.”

In light of this recent rash re-discovery of my sad selfish nature, I’ve decided to do something a little “out of the ordinary” during this particular Advent Season: study and practice selflessness. Oh dear me, I know I will be tested and so I head into this with great caution and care.

I found Luke 22 a perfect place to start. Known primarily for the exposition of Jesus’s Last Supper, I found a gem right in the middle:

“A dispute also arose among them as to which of them was the greatest. Jesus said to them, ‘The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. You are those who have stood by me in my trials. And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Luke 22: 24-30, NIV).

Holy Moly! My take away from this?

Jesus’s directive hurts. It is COUNTER CULTURAL to be selfless. Verse 26 says it clearly, “You are not to be like that.” Like what? We are not to be like those who “lord” over others. Who think they are better. Entitled. Superior. Deserving. Ouch. I’ll be chewing on this one all day.
Jesus’s directive humbles. It CHALLENGES us to overcome self. He doesn’t just talk the talk, oh no, he walks the walks. Verse 27b, “I am among you as one who serves.”
Jesus’s directive honors. It CALLS forth blessing. The word is “confers.” Simply said it means “to bestow an honor on…” As painful as selflessness is at the time, one day we will be honored by Jesus himself. Not one person on the planet may “see” or “know” our acts of service, but Jesus sees it all. Verse 29 blows my mind, “And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me…” I’ve known Jesus for over thirty years and I don’t think I’ve ever really read this verse. Jesus confers a kingdom on me. I will sit at HIS table and DINE with him. I’ve got to repeat that, “I confer on you a kingdom.”

Wow. That takes my breath away and gives me serious food for thought.

Today is a great day to begin the renewed practice of “selflessness.” I know, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that there will be a million ways to do this. Author Melissa de la Cruz writes, “This was what love meant after all: sacrifice and selflessness. It did not mean hearts and flowers and a happy ending, but the knowledge that another’s well-being is now more important than one’s own.”

Have you ever faced an opportunity to live out the type of selfless service Jesus talks about in Luke 22? If so, you don’t have to share the entire story, but maybe one little thought that might help us all grow in selflessness? Let’s do this. Let’s make this ADVENT SEASON a real preparation for the true celebration of Christ in the world.

“Courage can’t see around corners, but goes around them anyway.”
-Mignon McLaughlin

“Mom, where did October go?” smiled Brooke, as we were riding down the road one day.

“I don’t know,” I smiled back.

“Well, that’s sad. I didn’t even get to spend time with it,” she said.

“Oh, Brooke, you crack me up,” I laughed. “But, boy, you sure are right!”

October definitely took on a life of itself. Yes, I turned 53 on the 11th, bringing my “52 Weeks, 52 Changes,” to an abrupt end. You’ve heard the saying, “Too much month left at the end of my money?” Well, I have “too many changes left at the end of my 52 weeks.” So, I’m not quitting…the exercise in change was so challenging and freeing that I just can’t bear to stop. This week’s challenge to change is two-fold simple: Shop in my own closet and wear what is already there AND as I am dressing daily, remember the most important “clothing” I put on in my life is not material, but spiritual.

What “spiritual clothing” are you “putting on” every day? Oh, it is such an important question to ponder. As much as I love style (if you know me, you know its true), I want to be “noticed” for my spiritual clothing or “style” even more!

The latter part of Proverbs 31:25 really gets to me! The Proverbial Virtuous Woman, set to be an example for all Christian women to come, could “laugh without fear of the future.”

Boy, I really need to hear this today. If anyone could have told me two months ago that my mother would be diagnosed with a benign meningioma in her motor cortex (causing diminished use of her left leg/foot initially) and have to undergo brain surgery, I would possibly have laughed. But the actual diagnosis was no laughing matter. Just when I thought my drive through life was slowing down a bit, I ran head on into a fierce blind corner. Suddenly, life changed. That’s what blind corners do. They force a change. I’ve been reading a bit about these contenders and here’s what I’ve learned:

*(Just jump to “Take Home” if you are short on time!)

There are lots of different situations that could happen on the road and a good percentage of them are related to how roads were created. There are intersections, freeways, side-streets, uphill and downhill roads, winding roads, zigzags, and of course the dreaded blind corner. *Take home: God creates the roads we are on.
Blind corners are those corners where you can not see incoming traffic until you are at the corner itself or after you have turned your car and about to pull away from the corner. I’m glad though that most of the time I encounter blind corners, lots of drivers take extra care on the approach. There are still a few that I saw who relentlessly approached the blind corner without slowing down. *Take home: A blind corner makes me slow down and involves taking “extra” care.
There are lots of situations that could happen at a blind corner. Since you cannot see the approaching car, you won’t know if you are safe since an approaching car may mindlessly overtake another car or there may be people or animals crossing the street at the blind spot of that corner. There may be some kind of an obstruction that you cannot see or if you mistakenly decide to overtake at a blind corner, you may hit an approaching car that you didn’t see until you hit it. Take home: When I can’t “see” what’s coming, safety involves trust + faith in God. As I proceed through with extra care/caution, HE leads me to safety.
As you can see, blind corners are one of the most accident-prone areas. As a responsible driver, approach the blind corner slowly and cautiously. If it is a blind 90-degree corner (where you won’t be able to totally see the car until it’s at the corner), it won’t hurt to stop. Slowly enter the corner and turn carefully. Blow your horn if necessary. Anything that could help avert any accident will definitely work great. Take home: When facing a blind corner, “it won’t hurt to stop.” Stop, assess, move slowly, proceed with caution.
And for crying out loud, do not overtake and force to cut in before the blind corner. Most of the accidents that occur in blind corners are due to drivers who made a bad decision to overtake. Oh and this also applies if you’re going to cross that blind corner instead of turning into it. Again, approach slowly and blow your horn. At night or in dark places, always turn on your headlights. This will prompt incoming vehicles that you are there and vice versa. Take home: Don’t “force to cut in”, i.e., don’t force something to happen. This “bad decision” could end in an accident. AND, I love this…”turn on your headlights.” Boy, I believe “turning to the LIGHT” (i.e., Jesus and HIS WORD) is the best advice when faced with a blind corner.
So always drive defensively so that you’ll have a much safer drive and you and your passengers will be comfortable. This safety precaution can also be used on other types of corners. Just don’t assume that there’s no car on the approach from that blind spot. Take care and drive safely (See BLIND CORNERS). Take home: Drive through life “defensively,” meaning stay focused, alert, and watch out for the other guy(s) on the road.

My blind corner involved my mother’s diagnosis. Her journey became my journey, as well. That’s how life works. We walk through and around the blind corners of life in relationship…in community…together…usually. I had my very own PLAN for October-November, but God had other plans for my time. Plans to grow my selflessness and patience….to deepen my ability to love…..to slow me down, yet again, and redirect my sphere(s) of influence…to introduce me to new relationships/people that HE wanted me to meet….to reacquaint me with distant relatives that are now not-s0-distant…to foster an even keener sense of intimacy with Him…and so much more (of which I will write about in Part II).

Have you had to navigate around a blind corner in your life? Would you please share your lesson(s) with us, so we can all walk in even greater LIGHT!

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