It's Not About You
 

It's Not About You

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me...He has sent Me to... proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound.
—Isaiah 61:1

Dave and I have been married almost forty-five years, and I am appalled at how selfish I was during the early years of our marriage. I can honestly say I did not know any better. In the house where I grew up, all I ever saw was selfishness and “taking” instead of giving.

So when I became an adult, I was a selfish person who knew very little about giving to others. I was always on my mind, and nothing changed until I got weary of my entire life being about me, me, and more of me. According to today’s Scripture, Jesus came to open prison doors and set captives free. He has set me free from many things, the greatest of which is myself. I have been set free from me! I continue to grow daily in this freedom, but I am thankful to realize that real joy is not found in getting my way all the time.

Perhaps, like me, you also had poor examples in life and need to "un-learn" some things you learned growing up. Be honest: How do you respond when you don't get what you want? Do you become angry? Do you grumble and complain? Are you able to trust God to take care of you or do you live in fear that if you don't take care of yourself, no one will take care of you? Believing you have to take care of yourself leads to selfishness, which leads to an unhappy life.

The Holy Spirit is a great teacher. He will help you learn the lessons you need to know in order to truly value, care for, and love others.

Love Others Today: "Lord, help me un-learn every bad lesson I have learned in the past and set me free to learn to love others the way You want me to love them."

From the book Love Out Loud by Joyce Meyer