Losing an I

One of my favorite phrases from childhood is, "Someone is going to lose an eye." My husband is the perfect example of this phrase. Once, while playing soldiers with his brother, with the requisite long pointy sticks for guns, he was charging forward while Dave was turning to retreat, and Garth got poked in the eye. It is all fun and games until someone loses an eye. While we shout that reminder to our kids, sometimes in truth and sometimes in jest, in the Christian walk we are not supposed to stop until someone does lose an 'I". Do you put others first or do you need to stop and lose an "I"?

I confess that often I am selfish. I frequently choose to consider myself before others. Sometimes I am tired of doing good. Sometimes I want to think about me. Sometimes I get tired of being responsible. When is it going to be my turn to stay home and huddle under the covers instead of being the one to keep things going?

The world tells us many things about ourselves, most of them having to do with putting ourselves first: "I'm worth it", "Care begins with me", "You deserve a break today" are just a few.

Philippians 2:3 tell us, "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves".

The truth is, I think about myself plenty. But as a Christian I am called to "lose an I." It's just that the "I" is me, or my absorption with self. When I strive to put others before myself there is a subtle shift in the way I look at the world. I begin to see the whole person standing in front of me, not just their exterior. I begin to see their needs and their gifts. I begin to see that they are God's beloved child, just as I am. I begin to see their worth through my Fathers eyes, and hopefully, the way I view myself has changed as well.