THE ROAD OF SELF-IMPORTANCE....

My Three Favorite People...ME, MYSELF & I

It's easy these days to see who thinks more highly of oneself than they should...all you need to is look at someone's social media accounts to see a boatload of "selfies" (I had to add this one to my computer dictionary since it did not recognize the word), personal Tweets and other references to who they are and why they are important.

In the old days (the ones I grew up in), if you wanted to be important, then YOU HAD TO DO SOMETHING OF IMPORTANCE...start a charity for the hopeless;  make a social contribution to those in your community; run into a burning building to save someone's life...or at the very least, rescue a neighbor's kitten from the top of a very tall tree. But all that has changed; and not for the better I might add. If you want to be an "influencer" these days, then all you have to do is get millions of voyeurs to visit your Facebook page, find you doing some idiotic stunt on YouTube or read your every word via Twitter....and presto, changeo....YOU ARE NOW CONSIDERED BY YOUR ADORING FANS TO BE IMPORTANT.

So, where did this sick obsession of being important come from? It started in the Garden of Eden when the serpent first approached Eve to inquire, "Did God really say you cannot eat of EVERY tree in the Garden?" (my emphasis and paraphrase) To which Eve replied, "We may eat the fruit of every tree, BUT..." and that's where it all began. The BUT got Eve in trouble as the serpent begin to romance God's words by telling her if she really wanted to be important, then she had to make a bold move. He said, "You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of the forbidden fruit, your eyes will be opened and YOU WILL BE LIKE GOD, knowing good and evil." (my paraphrase)  In other words, you will be a person of IMPORTANCE! So what did Eve do? She took the first bite, offered the fruit to her husband and in her disobedience, ushered SIN into the world.

And in the middle of the word, SIN, we find the culprit in our world today..."I". We have all become so obsessed with being important, having our own way to the exclusion of others  that we seem to spend every waking hour trying to one-up our spouses, our children, our families and friends; all the while chasing the elusive brass ring known as SELF-IMPORTANCE! It is not enough to be loved by others and to share in their lives...we have come to believe that it is our life, our wants, our own selfish desires that must be met and we do all within our power to make that happen. We may live in the shadows, but we are constantly running toward the spotlight so that we can be the "star" of our life and so that we can "out glitter" all those who bask in our glory...THIS TYPE OF LIFE ONLY LEADS TO SELF-DESTRUCTION, NOT SELF-IMPORTANCE.

Yes, if your favorite people, the ones you cater to for fulfilling their every whim is ME, MYSELF AND I ....then you are in desperate need of making some new friends as you learn to live with a new thought...NOT MY WILL, BUT THINE BE DONE. It is only when you accept Christ as you personal Savior that you can you take your eyes off of you and your importance and begin to focus on a new reality....the more you decrease, the more Christ will increase in your life and the greater difference you will make in the lives within your inner circle. Yes, true importance comes from DOING...just as it did when I was growing up; but the difference is, WHO are you doing for and What moves you to make a difference in the lives of others? When you know Christ as your Friend and Savior, the important things you do for Him will turn the spotlight on Him and away from you...and in those moments, God Gets the Glory and you know that you no longer need to feel important....for in the eyes of God, YOU ARE ALWAYS A PERSON OF IMPORTANCE in the Heavenly Realm where Jesus awaits your homecoming.

Living in today...Looking forward to THAT Day,

WPQ

 

The Road Not Taken....

 

My life began so long ago

And I'm on the journey still;

Pressing onward through valley deep,

Or climbing the next hill.

 

Pondering at each juncture;

Peering down each winding road.

Looking for someone who's willing

To help me share life's load.

 

Knowing that my life may end,

It might even be today?

Asking for the Lord above

To guide me along my way.

 

To a life filled with joy and happiness;

Perhaps, a sprinkle of sorry too?

Seeking to make a difference

By the things I say and do.

 

So when at last my time is done

And I look at life's things forsaken;

May I never regret the roads I chose

Over the roads that were never taken.

 

And when inscribed on my tombstone

May these words ring loud and true...

"Dear Lord, I sought to live my life....

SO THE GLORY BELONGS TO YOU!!!!"

 

WPQ © February 28, 2022