Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Philippians 2:3 (ESV)
Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Philippians 2:4 (ESV)
How do you engage with the world?
Our interactions with people in our sphere/our circle of influence matter! How we choose to show up in the world…matters!! It’s funny how some people feel they have the “right” to say and do, whatever they want to other individuals, even to ones they do not even know!! They dare to think that because they belong to a certain race or social economic class of people, the actions they take (benefiting themselves even if it hurts others) are all that matters.
I recall an incident where I finished shopping and got into the checkout line to pay for my purchases. It was a busy time and the cashiers were doing their best but tensions were high, and customers were becoming impatient. A person ahead of me gave the cashier a hard time while checking out their purchases. When it came to me, I could see she was tired and upset. As she began ringing up my purchases, I thanked her for her hard work and for being there to serve us. I truly appreciated her. She then looked up and with tears in her eyes, she said, “Really? Thank you! I needed to hear that!” I told her I appreciated her and most importantly, God appreciated her even more! That small interaction, lifted her after the interaction before me, had cut her down. It did not take a lot on my part to let someone (whom I did not know and may never see again) understand they mattered.
God calls for us to show kindness and respect, and to always be aware that our actions truly do matter. He calls for us to take responsibility and control our attitudes and our behavior toward others. As humans, we will have times when we are not at our best and our tempers may flare up. However, as responsible individuals, we need to continually work on ourselves so that we won’t lose control when those stressful times do occur.
How do we engage with the world? By showing kindness, respect, and control of ourselves, as we interact with everyone we meet.
Blessings,
Angélique
To contact: Angelique@21stcenturygodlyliving.com
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