This is the third part to the It’s not about me series.  Monday was about focus and response, and yesterday was how my focus affects daily and family life.

My focus also affects my spiritual life.

I want to first point out that unlike other religions or philosophies, Christianity truly embodies the It’s not about me concept.  The core of Christianity isn’t about bettering oneself or obtaining favor.  It’s about the glory of God.

The work is finished in Christ’s atonement, and if our life has any purpose at all it’s as a sacrifice poured out, living for God and for others.

Much of my spiritual health is based on that understanding.

How do I read my Bible?  Is it only with “me” in mind; ie getting a morsel of daily encouragement for myself, or is it learning more about God?  Do I perform mental gymnastics or take verses out of context in attempts to always apply them to me and my situation (or even skip over the impersonal ones altogether) or do I seek to come to a greater understanding of who God is?  Do I view the Bible as an instruction manual or God’s written revelation of himself and his glory?

When bad things happen in my life, does it cause my faith to doubt or waiver?

How do I view the church?  Am I grateful for God’s people and seek to meet with some regularly?  Is my attendance based on whether or not I feel like it and don’t have too much other stuff going on?  Am I looking for what I get out of it, or seeing to serve and bless others?  I would say that my opinion on those who forsake the gathering of His people altogether is that they have forgotten it’s not about them.

How do I handle spiritual dry spells, inward struggles or sin?  Do I murmur and complain with no change, or is my hope and trust in Jesus’ victory?  Am I constantly asking for prayer and help, or am I looking for ways to also bless others?

Are the majority of my prayers mainly lists of requests or are they also outpourings of thankfulness and praise?

Yesterday when I wrote about response to circumstances, I concluded that:

My response will be a result of where my focus is.

When my focus is ultimately on my self - my needs, my wants, my goals, my preferences, my hurts, my, my, my - I can be almost certain that I will respond negatively.

But when my focus is on something greater, when I live under the realization that there is a much larger picture, my response is able to be something beautiful.

I don’t have to wait for a tragedy to see what my response will be and know where my focus ultimately is.

What my focus is will manifest itself through my daily living.

How do I manage my time?  Am I using it wisely or am I prone to laziness?  Do I make time for needed things or am I inclined towards busyness?  Am I focused primarily on selfish pursuits?

How do I view children? Do I embrace them?  Am I resentful of how much of my time they take?  Do I enjoy spending time with them or am I eager to be away from them?  How do I parent?

What is my marriage like?  When my spouse makes a mistake, is in a bad mood or demonstrates a poor attitude, how do I respond?  How often do I consider their needs and put them before my own?

How do I view things like hobbies or entertaining activities?  Are they considered periodic enjoyments or do they make up the majority of my life?   Do I have to have them in order to be happy?

Some of my answers to these types of questions cause me to cringe a little.  Constant assessment and adjustment is needful, as my focus so easily gets off.

What I tend to emphasize, be it the blessings or hardships of life, is just an outworking of where my heart is.

Time, children, marriage, hobbies.. How I operate within them can either be an outpouring of my complete satisfaction in something greater than my self, or they can be endless grapplings of futility as I strive to fill up a gaping hole that knows no completion.

A heart preoccupied with “me” will rarely be filled with the kind of love that it really longs for, because it can’t see past “me”.  Because it’s really not about me.

Human response fascinates me.

How is it that some can respond in a beautiful, even self-sacrificial way amidst horrid circumstances while some constantly struggle or practice bitterness even in decent circumstance?

We’ve all heard stories of admirable people who continued to express thankfulness and give to others if they could, even while they themselves suffered in a concentration camp or languished in a prison cell.

There have been times that I have risen above arduous circumstances, and other occasions when even the daily grind seemed too heavy to bear.  What was it that made the difference?

When battles, hardships, sickness or pain come, how can I have any confidence my response will be praiseworthy?

And what of my response to others’ affairs?  Am I able to rejoice in another’s good news, victories and talents?  Or am I prone to jealousy, questioning why I didn’t experience that, or irritated by the admiring attention and comments they receive?

I think the answer is fairly simple.

My response will be a result of where my focus is.

When my focus is ultimately on my self - my needs, my wants, my goals, my preferences, my hurts, my, my, my - I can be almost certain that I will respond negatively.

But when my focus is on something greater, when I live under the realization that there is a much larger picture, my response is able to be something beautiful.