Selflessness (is that even a word???)

This past week has been CRRRRAAAAZY. Well, crazy just because of the business. My second niece was born on Monday night. Needless to say, she's absolutely gorgeous and precious. She even has a gorgeous name, I think: Eleanor Reese. While looking at her, I realized just how incredible our creator is. What an incredible being to create life! I felt like I was looking straight into my Father's heart as I held Ella in my arms and just watched her. It makes me somewhat speechless. It made me see how pathetic I am to think of myself so much when there are such greater things going on outside of myself.

That's something that probably most people could say they struggle with is that they are always looking inward. I say this because I know it's something that I definitely struggle with. God constantly reminds me how my life is not the focus of what's going on around me. Just this morning, I was reading Acts 7 where Stephen is talking to the Synagogue of teh Freedmen. He had no care about his own life; he was ready and willing to do absolutely whatever God led him to do. He was even being STONED and the people were gnashing their teeth at him, and all Stephen was able to say was:

"Look! I see the heavens opened and teh Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!"
(Acts 7:56)
"Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." (Acts 7:59)
"Lord, do not charge them with this sin." (Acts 7:60)

Gah!!!! These people were killing him, and in the middle of it, he just wanted the Lord to show mercy on them! How many of us can really say that we could do that? God keeps showing me how ridiculous my complaints and grumblings are about my own life by opening my eyes to what's actually important. And this is for sure...the important things are never about me.

We constantly want to know what God's will is for our lives, who He wants us to be with, where He wants us to go, when He wants us to do it, and how He's going to go about making our lives happen. Really, we should know what He wants us to do! "Go and make disciples of people everywhere." That's what we need to do where we are, right now. But, we're too focused on how the rest of our lives will play out (we're too focused on US) to see how many people are actually in need. Stephen was taking his last breath, saw the need of the people for mercy, and would rather them be looked on by the Lord with mercy than for his own life to be saved. Incredible. That's how I want to be. I want to be completely humbled before God so that His Kingdom might grow. If we could just pursue intimacy with Him, want to know the desires of HIS HEART rather than our own, maybe, just maybe, we would find ourselves in more of a state of selflessness. Seflessness isn't concerned with how things will work out for ME, but how things will work out for God's people. If our hearts really are pursuing God's, we would want for people what He wants instead of being concerned with ourselves.

Looking outward, we see so much pain, so much need for mercy and salvation and compassion. Really, we see need. People in need of a friend, someone to just be there to help them out. People who need someone who isn't concerned with their outward appearance which motivates his/her generosity. I want to be that selfless person. Because I know that unless I am, my purpose here will never be fulfilled.