If I Could Change One Thing

I was reminded this morning of how selfish I am. This happens fairly often, really. I become so caught up in what I can do to make myself successful, or meet some need or want for myself or my family, that the world around me becomes a crazy blur.

There is so much that I take for granted, so much that I am unhappy or discontented with. And yet there are so many around me whose struggles and sufferings put my inconveniences to shame.

I started this blog because I realized one thing specifically. I have committed to write every day in order to build a successful business. I used to write all the time, and now I'm kind of moving back in that direction. But if I can write for several hours a day for my business, even if my business is designed to help people, I should be able to write something just to encourage someone for 30 minutes a day.

This does not mean that I fancy myself some kind of guru or spiritual expert. But maybe something I'm learning can help someone else in the process. That's the reason for the name of this blog. I am not an expert. Honestly, anyone who thinks he is an expert on spiritual matters probably views himself too highly. God is too big. But there are simple things that we should know and operate in that are helpful.

So, as I learn them or am reminded of them, I'd like the privilege of sharing them with you.

Here are today's thoughts:

If I could change one thing-

If I could change one thing,

I would have said that prayer.

But I forgot to think of that friend,

When I professed to care.

If I could change one thing,

I would have made that call,

But yesterday was about me,

That's why I dropped the ball.

If I could change one thing,

I would have found some cash,

But I was busy looking down my nose,

And trying to save my stash.

"He'd probably drink it anyway,"

So I justified my thinking,

But what business was it of mine,

If he spent it eating or drinking.

Was I afraid some other prick

Would see me lend a hand?

God forbid I step outside 

My comfort to feed a man.

Or was I just uncomfortable

To see someone in need

"If I don't look right at him,

He won't see my heart of greed."

The problem was it was his need

Not mine that it would fill

And I've got eyes for only one

That's me again, and still.

And what about that friend

That I just don't have time to call

"What can I do, just listen?"

So I find a way to stall.

But maybe that was just the thing

He needed all along.

Someone who could hear him cry,

Pick him up, or just stay strong.

If I could change one thing,

It wouldn't be my looks or skill.

It would be my heart for others

To see their needs, their wants, their will.

I can look at me and Jesus,

And think I'm doing pretty swell

But He said, "What you do for THEM,

You do for me as well."

If I could change one thing,

It wouldn't be about what I say,

It would be to look at others first

And prove it, here, today.

-Joey

Check out Matthew 25:31-46.

It's so easy to live day-to-day, thinking about ourselves. What do I need to get accomplished, how do I feel, who hurt my feelings, how was my day at work? It becomes extremely difficult to even remember that other people exist.

But when we do see the people around us and the lives we represent, we still think of them in terms of how they relate to us. Typically that means judging them based on their appearance, their accent, their situation, or something they say around us or to us directly. We are primed to pass judgement based upon how their existence affects the world we live in, with ourselves being the center of that universe.

Therefore we make decisions about people based on how they make us feel, who they remind us of, etc. By the time we're done judging what benefit they are to us, we have missed any opportunity to be of some benefit to them! 

I realized yesterday while looking at a homeless man that I was just as human as he was. I realized that everyone I know is capable of being homeless. We're all subject to making a bad decision or simply being a victim of someone else's bad decision. 

It wasn't my responsibility to assess the cause or validity of his situation. It was my responsibility to show the love of Jesus with the information I had, in the situation as it presented itself. This guy was standing on the corner looking forward to a 30 degree night on the street. I was not. 

There was not a lot I could do, and I did not do enough. This is where my responsibility for my own needs and my own success comes in. I should be pursuing success, wealth even, so that in situations like that, I can do a whole lot more. Not so that I can ride around in big cars, dress the way I want to, play golf every day, or build the Windsor Castle (check it out, it's amazing lol). So that when I am presented with a need, I can meet it.

But this cannot wait until I'm wealthy. I must be faithful in the small opportunities as they present themselves every day, if I expect to be entrusted with something greater.

Anyway, I know I've rambled along for a while. Take it for what it's worth. I don't know much. I just know what I'm being presented with today, so I thought I'd share.