It is difficult to understand and discuss selflessness because it is such a foreign concept. Selflessness goes against our very nature—each of us is inherently selfish and concerned about number one from day one! However, the more we learn about the Lord Jesus, the better we can begin to grasp what selflessness involves. He’s the very best example of this character trait.
We must first recognize our selfishness and set out to change it at every opportunity. Having a desire to change is the first step, and some people never get beyond it. It is so easy to ignore or downplay our own mistakes, especially when we compare them to someone else’s faults. People hear preaching, Sunday School lessons, and corrections from their teachers all the time, but how many people do anything to change their lives? Very few, it seems. Those types of people are being told over and over and over that they have a big problem, but they do not even care! They just go on their way and ignore the warning. That is easy to do because our flesh hates being told what to do or how to change. The point is this: when you are confronted with your selfishness, change. A selfless attitude in any situation can change our outcome and outlook.
After we’ve begun dealing with our own inherent selfishness, we can begin to help our children become more selfless too. Children in today’s world really do need to be taught the ability to give up some things for others. As an example, remind your child of a person who has given up his life to serve God as a missionary, either in the United States or in a faraway foreign land. Most of these individuals could stay right here and do God’s work with all the comforts we take for granted, yet they give of themselves so that others might be able to hear the Gospel of Christ. They would be likely to testify that the greatest joys of their lives came from helping someone and putting themselves last. We need to make these people our kids’ heroes. With the Lord’s help, we can instill in our children a selfless attitude that may one day, with the prompting of the Holy Spirit, lead them to become a missionary, preacher, full-time Christian worker, or faithful church member.
Teach your children that much of the nuts-and-bolts of being selfless is just being considerate of others. It goes hand-in-hand with the character traits of courtesy and kindness. A selfless person will go out of his way to help someone else, and he will often go above and beyond what is required. Day by day, week by week, he practices this caring behavior, often not realizing that he is more and more resembling our Savior, Jesus Christ. Hold these types of people up as role models to your children, because they are the ones God will reward. A well-known poem from years gone by puts it this way:
Lord, help me live from day to day
In such a self-forgetful way
That even when I kneel to pray
My prayer shall be for others
Others, Lord, yes, others,
Let this my motto be;
Help me to live for others,
That I may live like Thee.
MEMORY VERSE
“And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” Luke 9:23