Such as:
How do you take your coffee? Sweet-ish
What would you call this color? Green-ish
Were you busy today? Busy-ish
You get the idea. These words are usually accompanied by a 'so-so' hand movement and a little side-to-side wiggle of the head, to show it's not too much of whatever word we're '-ish'ing.
-ish helps describe something to a certain extent. Not too much of something, but not nothing, either. Otherwise we would describe it differently.
But what about the word 'selfish'? I have never heard someone described as being self-ish.
What do you think of _________? Oh, she's self-ish. [Kind of all about herself, but not completely.]
It just doesn't happen. There's no hyphen in the word selfish.
The definition of selfish: Concerned excessively or exclusively with oneself : seeking or concentrating on one's own advantage, pleasure, or well-being without regard for others.
It's interesting to see that when I am about myself, there is no kind-of about it. I'm all in. I can't be self-ish. I'm just selfish. There is no in-between.
When God interrupts my scheduled plans with an opportunity to bless someone else (that looks like inconvenience), or my kids need something from me for the fifty-hundredth time, or my idea gets implemented by someone else and no one knows I had anything to do with it, or...
We always have our own best interests at heart. Whether that be regaling others with stories of our successes at work or in ministry, gushing about our children's accomplishments (which also reflects positively on us), carefully crafting social media that only shows the positive...these things are all signs of selfishness. Trying to portray ourselves better than we really are.
Every day we are faced with choices of who we'll serve. And our attitude during that service is as much (or as little) an act of service as the action we perform. Grumbling and complaining about serving others is really about me not getting to do what I want. Dealing with difficult people in kindness to their face and then griping about them on the way home is really about me not liking to humble myself. Playing the martyr because 'no one else will do it if I don't' is really about me looking selfless to others. All of these are selfish behaviors that do not honor God.
When it comes down to it, I have to ask myself several questions about who I serve. How often do I choose me? How often do I choose others? How often do I choose God?
Lord help me not to be selfish! (or even self-ish!)
Proverbs 20:6 "Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?"
John 13:35 "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another."
Philippians 2:3-4 "Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. (4) Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others."
When God interrupts my scheduled plans with an opportunity to bless someone else (that looks like inconvenience), or my kids need something from me for the fifty-hundredth time, or my idea gets implemented by someone else and no one knows I had anything to do with it, or...
We always have our own best interests at heart. Whether that be regaling others with stories of our successes at work or in ministry, gushing about our children's accomplishments (which also reflects positively on us), carefully crafting social media that only shows the positive...these things are all signs of selfishness. Trying to portray ourselves better than we really are.
Every day we are faced with choices of who we'll serve. And our attitude during that service is as much (or as little) an act of service as the action we perform. Grumbling and complaining about serving others is really about me not getting to do what I want. Dealing with difficult people in kindness to their face and then griping about them on the way home is really about me not liking to humble myself. Playing the martyr because 'no one else will do it if I don't' is really about me looking selfless to others. All of these are selfish behaviors that do not honor God.
When it comes down to it, I have to ask myself several questions about who I serve. How often do I choose me? How often do I choose others? How often do I choose God?
Lord help me not to be selfish! (or even self-ish!)
Proverbs 20:6 "Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?"
John 13:35 "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another."
Philippians 2:3-4 "Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. (4) Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others."
Good stuff Julie! Thanks!
ReplyDelete-Savannah P