“Now I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, what God in His kindness has done through the churches in Macedonia. They are being tested by many troubles, and they are very poor. But they are also filled with abundant joy, which has overflowed in rich generosity.” (2 Corinthians 8:1-2 NLT)
These verses remind me of how the devil will so often redirect our focus to things that may be pressing and pertinent to us but nonetheless are robbing us of joy we could find if we would choose rather to focus on others instead of ourselves.
When the pressures of life, whether physical, financial, relational, mental, emotional, or otherwise, seem to be closing in on us, the enemy will delight in our willingness to gather in upon ourselves and invite all willing to join us in our pity party. “Oh, poor me!” becomes the echoing theme song of our soul as we wallow in the muddy puddles of self-pity.
Granted some attention often needs to be given to the problem with which we wrestle, but the point here is, it shouldn’t lead to or allow the absence of concern for others. I’m always amazed, regardless of how poorly my wife may be feeling, she always puts the needs of others ahead of her own.
That was the attitude of the brothers and sisters of the Macedonian churches mentioned above. They were dirt-poor, but they begged to be included in the offering for their brothers and sisters whom they’d never met, who were hurting elsewhere. I love what Dr. Crawford Loritts writes: “Want fulfillment and joy? Try shifting the focus from what you want, to giving others what they need.”
How might that translate? Depending on our season of life, perhaps it might look like forgoing a “much needed” vacation in favor of investing that money in a young couple with small children who can’t afford a vacation. Or rather than buying a new car we opt instead for a less expensive, but quality used car and “invest” the savings in a grieving widow/widower who may benefit from a visit to their loved ones in another city or country.
Perhaps it could look like taking a friend who is struggling to lunch or dinner or taking a meal to a convalescing neighbor, taking the time to pray with a co-worker or friend from church who is anticipating surgery. There are dozens of ways we can shift the focus from ourselves to others without it costing us a dime. Attentiveness to the needs of others is a discipline that takes time to form, but which pays very rich rewards.
Recently the Lord laid on my heart to write a prayer note for my neighbors. My conviction is, many times the things I do, say, or write may have application to only one or a few people, but I don’t question, I just obey. A few weeks after I passed out the note to each house in my neighborhood, one of my neighbors let me know how much the prayer meant to her. She told me “It caused me to weep.”
She and her husband are elderly and have many physical issues with which they wrestle, and she told me how much she appreciated me sending it. And please know that I don’t like using myself as an example, but that was fresh in my mind and all glory and credit goes to the Lord for how He used it. The point is, do what the Lord prompts YOU to do and sit back with joy to watch how He uses your sacrifices, great or small, to His honor and fame when you just shift your focus from yourself to someone else.
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 