Posted by Last night I was thinking about hashtags and how twitter has become such a common form of communication for people around the world. On the weekend there is #selfiesaturday and #selfiesunday. Really people? Because, apparently, we need more pictures of girls making “duck faces” out there on the internet. The concept of a “selfie” reminds me of the story of Narcissus, who was so consumed with the image of his reflection that he ended up dying. Although this is just a myth, I believe that there’s some truth to it. We as humans can become so enthralled with ourselves that we don’t really live.
I think that is something that’s happening in our culture today. We’ve become so focused on ourselves that we don’t take advantage of opportunities to really live. I know that I fail at this on a daily basis. I get so consumed with my work or my priorities or my feelings that I don’t take the time to acknowledge others. This is sad. The person in the cubical beside me is an individual. The person on the street corner begging for money is just as important as me. My roommates, my family, my friends, and even complete strangers are all important to God, so they should be important to me. This is seen perfectly in Jesus. We are so important to God that he sent his own son to die for us. Philippians 2:5-8 says:
“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”
Jesus condescended to earth, became human and died a death he didn’t deserve, because he loves us. When he was here on the earth, he commanded us to love our “neighbors” (which means everyone) as we love ourselves. Love requires action, whether it’s just doing the dishes so that someone else doesn’t have to, buying a meal for a stranger or a friend, or giving money to a person on the street. It doesn’t matter what you do, as long as you do something.
Who can you show some kindness to today? How can you go out of your way to make someone else’s day better? How can you be selfless today? Don’t just answer the question, but live it out, and see how you can impact the world around you.
Work in Progress 