The Seat MakerShembull

Me First

I remember as a kid getting a chance to hit a piñata with a stick or bat at various birthday parties while wearing a blindfold. It was fun to take a swing in hopes to break it open and see the rush of candy flowing out while all the other kids stood around in anticipation. Everyone knew when that piñata broke, it was a free-for-all to get your candy. Every kid for himself, whatever you had to do… dive on to the floor, wrestle, tug of war etc.  It was bitter-sweet as I remember the anxiety of “what if I don’t get any candy” because all the other kids got to it before me! It was a battle and I was ready to “go for it first” when the candy broke free.

Kind of funny, but the piñata mentality still brews in everyday life for many of us. Let’s face it, we have to go after our dreams in a very competitive world, and in order to be noticed, we have to elevate above our competition. With that being said, Jesus made it clear that in order to elevate ourselves into a place of promise and opportunity, we are to be an example and not worry about what others have done or may have that we lack, and avoid pushing them out of the way to grab our seat at the table or “candy from the piñata”. He revealed that great leaders lead by humbly serving others before themselves, paving the road that leads to fulfillment and reward, not only here on earth but in Heaven.

Is it possible that my view in regard to winning at life has been skewed by a source that is not of God and possibly the opposite of what God desires for me? My inability to reach my goals in a way that I’ve always hoped, could be due to that fact that I lack the perspective to see myself in the way that God sees me, in comparison to others.