All About Me??

It is just me, or does it seem as if everything you see and hear these days is focused on "self"? What happened to selfless? When did it become ok to forget about others and be all about "me?" (written 7 July 07)

Do you ever feel as if there is an impatient small child inside jumping up and down and screaming endlessly "but what about me?" Have you heard (or given?) the advice "don't forget about time for yourself"? Taking time to care for yourself is a must - whether it be a walk, a trip to the gym, or a relaxing bubble bath (okay, that one may have been more directed to the ladies), but is it indeed necessary to focus on self to the detriment of your fellow man?

Think of the way that receiving an unexpected present makes you feel ... what if you could capture that feeling more often? When my children were little, and Christmas was approaching, we made them clean out their toyboxes and rooms. Why? Looking back, there was not always an altruistic reason behind it. The toy purge started as a way to clean out before the "new load" arrived .. an attempt to make the pile roughly the same size at any given time. One of the first years we did it, it happened in conjunction with "Operation Santa Claus" on post. That was the perfect explanation, and a very valid reason. Even a child can understand that some are more fortunate than others. Why should they have so much, and things that they do not even use, when there are some who have little or nothing? By sharing what they had, they were giving. I cannot claim that it was always successful, but more often than not, there were many, many toys departing the house to be loved by someone new. As they grew older, the giving changed. It did not necessarily focus on the holiday season, but the purge could be precipitated by a move or even a growth spurt. My oldest is a giver. If she thought you needed it, or even wanted it, she would give you the shirt off her back. That is, and has been since she was small, her nature. She is constantly looking out for the needs of others, often before her own.

I try very hard to be an example for all three of my children, but I have to admit that the little screaming child still jumps up and down inside at times. I struggle with feelings of selfishness, and I can HEAR "what about me?" far more often than I think I should. Contrary to public opinion, and the magazine covers every other week ... it is NOT all about "me." Lord, make me a better giver, and help me quiet that screaming child!

"One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed." ~Proverbs 11:24-25 NIV