Some

I got this in my inbox this morning and it is similar to what some friends and I have been discussing. And people have commented on Karyn's Blog. It is very relevant to what has been talked about lately. It says exactly what I wanted, but it says it more elequently. Here it is (the Italics are what I add in in a different colour):


February 27, 2007

Someone Else’s Problems
by John Fischer

Evangelicals often put being saved and going to heaven in the same sentence, as if heaven were the only goal of our salvation. But the truth is, we are saved to serve (people in The Salvation Army says that a lot). Heaven is important, but heaven can wait. God saves us because he has a job for us to do in his Kingdom here on earth. If heaven is the whole point of our salvation, then what do we do while we wait? Change the channel on our Christian entertainment? We have to DO SOMETHING. Not just say "Jesus come into my heart" and then go back and do what we used to do. We need to serve! God calls us to serve others!

It’s amazing how many of our own problems dissipate when we begin caring about other people’s problems instead of focusing on our own. That is VERY VERY true! So true! I have definitly found that in my current situation. Yes there are bad things going on in my life, but if I am helping my friends I feel that my problems just seem to go away (not disappear or not become problems anymore but I just don't think about them). If we are doing something, we tend to not dwell on the bad things going on. We’ve picked up some very bad habits from our culture. We have a tendency to be preoccupied with our own needs and constantly trying to fulfill them. Seems to be a "me first" generation! It needs to end! Advertising plays into this self-indulgence, promising that one more product will be the thing that will finally satisfy us. The truth of the matter is: Getting will never come close to the satisfaction that giving affords. Meaning, you get more satisfaction from giving than getting.

Think of someone you know who is truly happy and I venture to guess you will find that someone busy serving others. Yup... true true! If, in fact, our troubles will never go away (and I don’t believe they ever will in this life), then to focus on them and try to solve them is going to be nothing but a broken record. Make one problem go away, and watch another one crop up immediately. To give ourselves to the task of attending to the problems of those around us may not make our own problems go away, but it will make them less of a drag. Focusing on our own problems can lead to anxiety, frustration, and even depression. Focusing on other people’s problems leads to usefulness and a greater sense of health. I feel extremely useful when I am helping someone else with their problems. It makes me feel that I am making a difference and not just being a "pew warmer".

So today, when we are tempted to look in, to our own needs, let’s look out, instead, to the needs of those around us and see if our own needs diminish by comparison. Who knows, we may even forget about ourselves in the process.

Jesus hung on a cross and thought of those who were putting him there, and even pleaded their case before his Father, because he knew they didn’t realize the full impact of what they were doing. Can you imagine having even a fleeting thought about someone else if you were in that much pain yourself? But that’s just the thing about Jesus: He was always thinking of someone else. Wow! That is just inspiring! That Jesus hung on the cross. He was in so much pain, but he was thinking about the nation that he was dying for. He was not thinking about his own pain! WOW!

Father, Help me to look outside instead of in. Sometimes I tend to dwell on my own problems and look inward instead of outward. Help me help my friends more and more. Especially with this one situation with a good friend of mine, give me the words, help me be useful. I want to be useful for your kingdom. I don't just want to be a pew warmer. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, so strengthen me daily to look outward! Amen!