Reason #937
They say you can't have your cake and eat it, too. I never really understood what that saying meant. Every piece of actual cake I've ever had, I've eaten. I guess it's a nice way to say that you can't always have what you want. And does anyone, besides me, hate that fact?
I think the hard thing about not getting what you want means that someone else is getting what they want, right? If no one ever got what they wanted, then it wouldn't matter as much. But as it is, someone usually ends up getting what they want, and it hardly seems to work in our favor when we want it to.
This is the joy of growing up. You quickly learn that you don't always get what you want. Sure, if you have enough money or power, you might get what you want more often, however, sometimes even those things don't work. And you learn along the way that there are times you've got to give up what you want. At times it may be temporary, and unfortunately, sometimes it's permanent. But if you ask me, the real sign of maturity, of selflessness, is being able to willing and ungrudgingly give up what you want so that someone else can have what they want.
That's what Jesus called us to do. To die to ourselves. To put others interests before our own. Yet we have a really hard time doing that, or at least doing it without feeling irritated or holding a slight grudge. We think, "Okay, I'll let you have your way this time. But next time it's my turn." In reality, that's not dying to ourselves. That's keeping count, and while, from a human perspective, that seems fair, that's not what the Lord asks us to do.
Being considerate is more than just saying sorry, please and thank you, and holding open doors. Being considerate means you take into account opinions, feelings, thoughts and ideas that are not your own rather than simply acknowledging them and dismissing them. And the truth is, sometimes when we stop and look at things from another perspective, we realize that maybe what we don't really want what we thought we wanted. Maybe, just maybe, that other person's wants are so bad after all. And, if you ask me, the Lord is most glorified when His people sacrifice rather than getting what they want. One way produces character, the other increases selfishness. One reflects the Lord, the other doesn't.
It's okay if you don't always get what you want. We can't all be Lola because "whatever Lola wants, Lola gets." But we can be like Christ. We can realize that opportunities to sacrifice are opportunities to be a reflection to Him. We can take those opportunities to bring glory to His name when they come, and we can remember that even if we don't always get what we want, He'll make sure we have what we need.
#937 - Because He selflessly died to himself for us.
"You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross." - Philippians 2:5-8
I think the hard thing about not getting what you want means that someone else is getting what they want, right? If no one ever got what they wanted, then it wouldn't matter as much. But as it is, someone usually ends up getting what they want, and it hardly seems to work in our favor when we want it to.
This is the joy of growing up. You quickly learn that you don't always get what you want. Sure, if you have enough money or power, you might get what you want more often, however, sometimes even those things don't work. And you learn along the way that there are times you've got to give up what you want. At times it may be temporary, and unfortunately, sometimes it's permanent. But if you ask me, the real sign of maturity, of selflessness, is being able to willing and ungrudgingly give up what you want so that someone else can have what they want.
That's what Jesus called us to do. To die to ourselves. To put others interests before our own. Yet we have a really hard time doing that, or at least doing it without feeling irritated or holding a slight grudge. We think, "Okay, I'll let you have your way this time. But next time it's my turn." In reality, that's not dying to ourselves. That's keeping count, and while, from a human perspective, that seems fair, that's not what the Lord asks us to do.
Being considerate is more than just saying sorry, please and thank you, and holding open doors. Being considerate means you take into account opinions, feelings, thoughts and ideas that are not your own rather than simply acknowledging them and dismissing them. And the truth is, sometimes when we stop and look at things from another perspective, we realize that maybe what we don't really want what we thought we wanted. Maybe, just maybe, that other person's wants are so bad after all. And, if you ask me, the Lord is most glorified when His people sacrifice rather than getting what they want. One way produces character, the other increases selfishness. One reflects the Lord, the other doesn't.
It's okay if you don't always get what you want. We can't all be Lola because "whatever Lola wants, Lola gets." But we can be like Christ. We can realize that opportunities to sacrifice are opportunities to be a reflection to Him. We can take those opportunities to bring glory to His name when they come, and we can remember that even if we don't always get what we want, He'll make sure we have what we need.
#937 - Because He selflessly died to himself for us.
"You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross." - Philippians 2:5-8