Self-centeredness

Wednesday May 5, 2021

A character defect that most of us have is self-centeredness. Sometimes we are not aware of it, but it is evident in how we behave and in what we say. Our communication with others is mainly about ourselves and what we think or do. We often brag about how we outwitted someone to get what we wanted. We boast about our activities. It seems we just want others to know how clever we really are. Some of us are so concerned about promoting ourselves that we seldom stop to think of how we are relating to others.

In whatever you do, don’t let selfishness or pride be your guide. Be humble, and honor others more than yourselves. Don’t be interested only in your own life, but care about the lives of others too. (Philippians 2:3-4 ERV)

Impatience with a person or an event is another way we show our self-centeredness. We often get upset when the check-out person at the store is too slow; the doctor has too many patients; someone forces their way ahead of us in a line-up; our counsellor doesn’t seem to understand, or we think they are not listening. Complaining when our expectations are not met is evidence of our self-centered attitude. How often do we stop and think about the well-being of the other person in the situations we complain about?

An unfriendly person pursues selfish ends and against all sound judgment starts quarrels. (Proverbs 18:1 NIV)

In our new life with God in recovery we are learning new ways of thinking and behaving. When we take daily inventory, perhaps we need to inventory around how we helped someone in need, prayed for a person who was showing signs of stress, or noticed a person in a lineup that needed to be attended to before us. God calls us to love our neighbour as ourselves. Our neighbours shouldn’t suffer because all our love is centered on ourselves.

I am afraid that when I come, we won’t be pleased with each other. I fear that some of you may be arguing or jealous or angry or selfish or gossiping or insulting each other. (2 Corinthians 12:20 CEV)

Prayer: Gracious God, I find it hard to take my eyes off my own agenda and look out for the interest of others. Please forgive me for my selfishness and help me to do so. Amen

More information on this and other related topics @ http://www.partnersinhope.ca/life-with-god-in-recovery-resources/

Self-centeredness

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