Putting others first

Every wife and mother knows what it means to be unselfish. We would rather be sleeping, but instead get up in the middle of the night because our child throws up in his bed. We walk the floor with them when they cannot sleep. We allow them to interrupt our meals, our telephone conversations, even what was intended as our long soak in the bathtub. We talk with family on the phone when we’d rather be having a nap. We give our husbands the biggest piece of chocolate cake even though we really crave that chocolate.

Sometimes I find myself feeling sorry for me because I give the best to everyone else and take the leftovers for myself. Occasionally I start hiding treats in my desk, just to take care of me first, a silly solution but I bet most moms (and some dads) do it.

This morning I read about Abram (who became Abraham) and his nephew Lot. They had been in Egypt where Abram became wealthy. Sent from there, they traveled to the land God had promised to Abram, and when they arrived, he “called on the name of the Lord.”

However, the spot they were at could not support their herds. The herdsmen of Abram and Lot began fighting over grazing rights.

At this point, Abram said, “Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren. Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.”

Lot picked the most fertile land for himself, the plains of Jordan, but also the location of Sodom and Gomorrah—and we know what happened there. And Abram took the leftovers.

While Abram’s unselfishness hardly compares to chocolate cake or getting up in the middle of the night, the attitude he had and the results of Lot’s selfishness are a reminder of a principle emphasized throughout Scripture. If I put others first, God will take care of me. If I put myself first, the consequences will not be as pleasant.

Selfishness reaps more than unnecessary calories. Yet putting others first means far more than losing a bit of sleep. God lays out the idea of reaping what we sow, of cause and effect. When I put others first, the blessing often multiplies in ways I would never predict. Most often, people bless me in return, certainly in ways I would not have imagined.

Sure, I can sneak treats for myself, but they end up coming back at me. I should be looking for someone who needs a candy bar or a pack of Cheesies more than I do. If I can’t find such a person, I’m better off to unselfishly toss those treats in the garbage. It would be an excellent exercise in self-discipline and good for my inner life. Besides that, there is more than one way to spell waste.