This isn't so much just about helping people. Any one and almost every one helps people at least a few times every so often. Perhaps out of obligation, pressure from the rest of the crowd, hopefully though it was just out of kindness. In my earlier blog I talked about the social security office happening, where I didn't take the opportunity that was granted to me without a doubt. The thing is, this happening is an improvement from my old self, that is, before I became a serious "Christian". I never would have stopped to think about that lady. In fact I probably would have been annoyed that she sat so close to me. My point is though, God has done something unique in me. Not unique in the way that He doesn't do it to any one else because I've seen impressive but small countless acts of kindness that I still feel warm about. I mean it in the way that was unique to my character.
Something that I've noticed over the years with my relationship with God is the fact that I love more. Don't get me wrong, I'm not boasting, if anything 'loving more' just meant based on a one to ten scale, it went from the negatives to perhaps something a little higher. My world revolved around me. I figured that's the way it should have been because I can't control any one else's life. That idea changed upon my salvation. The more I knew the love of God towards myself the more I understood His love for others. It was something I never stopped to think about. God loves that person holding a sign with the explicit words asking for food. A curious way to ask.... But he loves him nonetheless and because of that I had compassion for him. My heart hurt for his situation. Such a strange feeling I would have thought a few years ago, having compassion for some offensive thing.
I'm still working on it, or rather, God's still working on me, because although I was offended at the time now I wish I could have done something about his lack of food. After all I've been blessed with the extra provisions. This is where the desires come in. Like I said, years ago I would have looked awkwardly away from the homeless, trying to ignore their existence. I wouldn't have thought to ask if the crying young woman at Walmart was alright. I wish I had, and if I saw them again I'd recognize them because they've been on my heart ever since. This is the change. The change from desiring things for my own good and being concerned for other people. Never before had I been so thoughtful of any one else. This is what was freeing. When I wasn't concerned on myself and on my own problems I was freed up to make more than one person (myself) feel just OK and was able to make a ton of other peoples day get a little bit brighter.
Which brings me to my last point that I've been thinking about. Where our desires start and end. I believe that they should both start with Christ and end with him. When we are looking to the Cross and seeing that love that we have been given how are we able to contain it? Why would we WANT to contain it? God has given me more love than I know what to do with and it's only natural that it's going to overflow and pour out. The same will most definitely happen for you, Christian.
"But whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life." John 4:14
By the way, there is absolutely no competition in serving myself and helping others. It is far better to serve that to be serve, I've been seven THOUSAND times happier and more blessed than when things were just about me. so... THE END! :D Oh wait. To explain the title, the pursuit of happiness isn't about self. KTHEEND
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