Once in a while I get a moment where I just want to say "aha". It happened again this morning. I was working on my Sunday school lesson (I teach a class of adults). We are using Swindoll's book "Laugh Again" which is based on a study in Philippians. This week's emphasis is on the trait of unselfishness--putting others before yourself.
Something Swindoll said reminded me of the trip we took to the World Fair in Tennessee one year with three of our kids. We arrived at the entrance about the same time busloads of senior citizens were disembarking their coaches and lining up at the entrance. We stood fairly close to the gate and watched the crowd swell. The closer it got to opening time, the tighter the pack became and suddenly we could begin to feel a slight push. The boys were about 10 and 7 (the older two are twins) and I began to fear that they would be crushed in the rush. We edged our way to one side and watched as the crowd of adults poured through the gate as it opened. When the rush was over we calmly walked through the gate and began our day of exploration, thankful that we had not been hurt in the onslaught of eager visitors.
So many times we rush to be first, to have the attention, to demand our right to...(fill in the blank). That's not the way Christ would have us live our lives. In Matthew, he describes himself as being humble and full of grace--unselfish.
My "aha" moment came. In the rush to be first, to be the attention-getter, the important one, what are we missing? If we were putting others first and lingering at the back of the line is it just possible we might find someone else there too? Would we meet Jesus?
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