By Byron Washington, Columnist
Houston, we have a problem! Well, it’s more like our world has a problem. We have become infatuated with ourselves. Everything has become about us. To be fair, I place the blame (most of it) on social media. I have been traveling for the last few weeks and cannot tell you how self-absorbed people have become. Everyone wants to show where they are and what they are doing. I had a few free moments while visiting a country and went to see one of the parks and natural attractions. Honestly, 75% of the people there were focused on their phones, making videos and creating the perfect post for social media.
Our treatment of others has suffered because we have become so focused on ourselves. When we think the world revolves around us, anything that challenges or inconveniences us is a problem. We are self-absorbed and have a hard time showing compassion and extending grace because we see only ourselves. Think about road rage. A lot of that is being self-centered and arrogant. You are in the fast lane, but you are going slow. Someone going fast comes up behind you, so you get an attitude and keep driving slowly. Why? Because we think more highly of ourselves than we should. Here is what most people say, “who do they think they are,” or “I’ll show them…” but why? No reason except that we want to be foolish and create a problem.
My brothers and my sisters, this spirit of making everything about us is going to be the death of us. Taking things personal that we should ignore, making a problem because we think it is about us, is going to cause us to miss some of the blessings God has for us. Consider Mark 12:31: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” We have neglected this commandment because the world has made us think we are so important that the world should revolve around us; it does not.
Paul reminds us in Romans 12:3: “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.” Likewise, I encourage you to take a step back this season. I am not against you posting on social media; however, I caution us to be careful that we do not make everything about us. If everything is about us and what we want, when does God get the opportunity to shine through our lives? Never? Think about it.
Faith still holds