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Life is not always the way I want it to be. My body is aging and cellulite is no longer a challenge. It has simply taken over. I am by temperament, a melancholy, and compromise for the all-knowing melancholic-perfectionist is a challenge to the one who already has it figured out the right way. I would do well with a spouse who could read my mind, as well as my emotions, and who had the instinct to respond to both with the wisdom of Solomon. It is not enough for me to have a circle of friends with whom I can mutually exchange care and affirmation. I would prefer to know that I am well-liked and accepted by all of my acquaintances. And on the serious side of life, grandkids should know that living a thousand miles away from grandma infringes on my grandmotherly desires. And somehow, God should understand that a tangible belief system with visible results would spur my motivation and consistency. Alas, a mentality of "me" that is never fully satisfied. And the mentality can create ruts that I tend to get stuck in. My only consolation is that when I shared the woes of life-that-isn’t-the-way-I-wanted-it-to-be with the ladies in my Sunday School class, their responses revealed that the ruts I can tend to get stuck in can also get crowded with a bunch of other "me" mentality people.
In Scripture, one of David’s acquaintances, Nabal, was an extreme example of "me" mentality. He was the center of his own world, and if given the choice, would steal the center of anyone else’s world for himself as well. He pompously over-protected his own "rights" and property. His words were as much daggers as the instruments he used to back them up. David initially reacted with intended revenge when Nabal’s self-centered attempts at intimidation collided with David’s sense of fairness. A wise and beautiful woman thwarted David’s intentions with her kindness, and her godly perspective.
God dealt severely with Nabal’s "me" mentality, but how much better it would be to pull ourselves out of the rut in response to God’s prompting and grace long before the "me" mentality totally entraps us. Life is not about "me." Life is about the very One who has given life to me. His intent is not for me to focus on my own wants or supposed "rights," but His intent is for me to first focus on Him, and then to see beyond Him to the others who are part of my life. A God-focus coupled with a focus on others, is the foundation for both freedom and joy. It will bring acceptance into our lives and a realization of some of what God wants to accomplish through the unique circumstances of life that we find ourselves a part of .
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