Philippians 2:3-4    Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.  Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

It is so easy to get caught up with everything going on in our own little world that we miss the opportunity to help others.  I know how overwhelming life can get at times to the degree where you feel as though you can’t even think straight, but the best thing you can do at those times is to take a “time out” from your own “stuff” and find a way to help someone else even if it is only for an hour.  It may be something as simple as going to visit an elderly person in your church who is lonely or watching some children for an hour while their single parent runs to the grocery store or maybe she/he just needs a few minutes of quiet.  Take someone you know is hurting out for coffee.  There are always others in need that we can take time to focus on and get our minds off our own struggles.

Last night here in Spring Hill, Tennessee there was an eleven year old boy reported missing.  Spring Hill is not a small town by any means, it sometimes seems that way because it is a bedroom community not a large city with high rises but it was amazing to watch the whole community come together to pray for and search for this boy!  One man who didn’t even know the boy or his family got an email from his wife about it so he left work early to go help search for him!  People pulled together, there were over 8,500 shares of his photo online and flyers passed out all over and praise God he was found and brought back to his mom!  Everyone forgot for several hours their own plights and reached out to someone that they felt needed them even if they didn’t know them.  That is what we are called to do on a daily basis!  Reach out, take some time, serve someone else even if just for a little bit of time each week.  Show the love of Christ to someone else in need.  You never know who has been praying that God would just show them in some way that He cares and it may take you to show that love.

I have found that I am often more open to God’s answers when I have taken my eyes off my problems for a while and focused on someone else or something else for a while.  Trust me God will still be working on your situation even if you take a break for a bit to help someone else.  The worst thing we can do is to become too self centered, taking our eyes off God because we are so glued to our problems.  Let go of it all for a little bit today and find someone around you to serve in the name of Jesus, allow someone else’s situation to become a little bigger than your own to you for a bit and watch as God moves on your behalf and the behalf of those around you!

Quote:   “The highest point of achievement yesterday is the starting point of today.”  Motto of Paulist Fathers