An inconvenient life

Confession time:  I'm selfish.  Honestly, when it comes down to it we're all basically selfish.  We live in a society that promotes "me first" and "looking out for #1".  We fill our schedules with things we want/need to do. Spend money on things we want.  Take vacations where we want to go.  Spend time with who we want to spend time with.  We're comfortable doing things that please us and make our lives easier and more enjoyable.

Think for a moment how life would look differently if we surrendered each of these areas to the Lord.  If we asked him to show us what things should be on our schedule, what our days should consist of, how our money should be spent and dare I say it, even where we should go on vacation.  Would that change the way we're currently living? 

We've become a much more transient society and the idea of helping our neighbor is all but lost, leaving families and individuals isolated.  Back in the day friends and family lived close to one another and did life together.  If there was a barn to be raised, the whole community came together to help.  Wisdom was shared over canning, quilting and gardening.  People went out of their way to help one another.  They inconvenienced themselves to do what needed to be done.  Regardless of what was planned for the day, when a neighbor needed help they dropped what they were doing to pull together.

We have convinced ourselves that we're so busy with urgent things that dropping everything to help someone would be too much of a sacrifice.  I'm guessing it was back then too, but it wasn't a question of whether or not they would do it...they just did.  I'm not suggesting we start canning, quilting, gardening or barn raising (although that's a great idea), but that we need to be willing to be inconvenienced for the sake of others, learning to live out the truth of Philippians 2:3 on a daily basis - Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.

Is a friend feeling overwhelmed with a project?  Spend the day helping her finish it.  Know a new mom who could use an extra set of hands?  Take some time to hold her baby so she can take a nap...or a shower!  Drop dinner off unexpectedly to someone you know is struggling.  Flowers and a card of encouragement may be just what someone needs.  

Be willing to be second.

Be willing to do something for others that they can't currently do for themselves.  

Be willing to live an inconvenient life, dying to self to be Jesus with skin on.

I dare say an inconvenient life is exactly the life Christ called us to live.