HSBC Coffeebreak

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Philippians 2:3-4

I love Tuesdays. This is the day of my women’s Bible study. I adore getting together with a group of women and learning more about the God that I so love. These women may be 20 years older than I am, but I learn from them in ways that are priceless to me. This Tuesday was no different.

We had been studying the book of Philippians and discovering the meaning of true joy. We were in the second chapter of the book and I listened as my teacher read its words. She came to the third and fourth verses and pointed out that they command us to humble ourselves not only to fellow Christians, but our families and strangers as well. Our assignment was to put into practice this humble attitude as we continued our day.

This should be easy enough, or so I thought. I was a wife and mother after all, and wasn’t looking out for the best interests of others in my job description? I went about my day considering others better than myself. In service, I entertained the discussion of an elderly lady at the swimming pool when all I wanted to do was enjoy some peace while my children were in lessons. I put down the broom when my son wanted to curl up on the couch and read a book with me. I prepared a meal to show my husband that I appreciated his long hard days at work. All the while, I was making plans for the upcoming weekend at home. The fair was in town, and I envisioned our family enjoying a rodeo and eating high-fat foods. I thought I had these Bible verses figured out.

Then my husband got home. He had other plans for the weekend. Later in the week, my husband had a meeting in Billings. We were going to bring our camping supplies, the children and I would find something to do during the day while he was at his meeting, and then we would go camping somewhere in the Beartooth Mountains later that afternoon. Well, that didn’t agree with my vision for a happy family weekend at the fair. God brought the verses from Philippians to my mind. That stopped my selfish ambition and vain conceit in its tracks. My husband relaxes more on camping trips than anywhere else, and my kids jumped at the opportunity to sleep in the camper, chase bugs and eat s’mores. I realized that this verse was not something I could ever master, and that this would not be the last time that God reminded me of this command.

God rewarded me at the campfire that weekend. After an enjoyable discussion with my husband, I gazed at the bright stars, which reminded me of the glory of God and took my breath away. I found real joy that night and I look forward to the next time God reminds me of this verse. I am excited to see the outcome of my submission to His will.

Written by
Lisa Waterman