Aquarium

To celebrate President's Day, my wife and I did what any other crazy parent would do. We got the kids ready, packed the car, and set off to do something fun. There's an aquarium not too far from us which we thought might be a good way to spend the day. We figured it would be smart to arrive 15 minutes before they open the doors. After all, schools were closed for the holiday. It seemed like a flawless plan, but with one minor miscalculation...hundreds of other parents had the same exact idea. Though we arrived early, the line was so long that it took us an hour just to get inside.

After some time waiting and the kids growing anxious, my genius of a wife remembered that she technically held an annual membership. We moved right to the front of the line. As we were waiting to be called for admission, I could see the single file crowd growing anxious too. In fact, I heard rumblings of people cutting the line. You could sense the tension all around. The situation kept escalating until finally security had to be called over for crowd control. Yikes!

As I'm standing there waiting to be admitted I just kept thinking... Why can't people be more patient? They see the staff is overwhelmed - how can they not see the crowd of people around them? It was as if people were blind to the situation and consumed only with having their needs prioritized. Now, to be fair, it was a difficult situation to be in for parents that are struggling to entertain their littles for over an hour. But what I observed is something I tend to observe in people regularly - sinful behavior, in this case specifically, a combination of selfishness and impatience. Everyone is prone to sin, especially under pressure. But even if the circumstances are challenging, as followers of Jesus we are called to love others first.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. (1 Corinthians 13:4-5)

Sin separates us from God and without Him, we cannot love others properly. Jesus set the bar for love both in how He lived and died. The example He left for us is that we cannot only be consumed with ourselves. He calls us to look beyond our individual needs, desires, and comfort. He's not asking us to do this because He doesn't care for us. In fact, it's just the opposite. It is because He cares for us that we can care for others.

We love because he first loved us. (1 John 4:19)

Consider a bowl of fish. There are several of them swimming around, sharing the same amount of space and water. I've seen fish behave and most of them know how to share the bowl. Or they learn to eventually. But I've also seen situations where fish don't learn how to play nice. What eventually happens is the unlearned fish is removed from the environment before it harms the others. They end up in a tiny bowl, isolated and alone. The moral of the story - don't be selFISH.

*Ba dum tss*

Okay, lame dad jokes aside, there is a real moral to this tale. Evidence of maturity in Christ is humility, which is the opposite of selfishness. When we begin to realize that life does not revolve around us, we are able to grow in other areas, like patience. If you've been out to a restaurant during the pandemic, you probably had at least one or more experiences with slower-than-average service. Did you complain? Did you tip less? Did you leave a bad Yelp review? If I'm being honest, I did get a little impatient at times. But the Holy Spirit would always convict me and remind me that I'm not the center of the story. Jesus is. Life revolves around Him and can only be found in Him. So we need to model our lives after Him. As Christ did, we must be aware of the people around us and their needs too. In everything we do, we must remember this...

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves. (Philippians 2:3)

Jesus is the LORD. He is God made flesh. He has every right to boast and brag about Himself should He choose to. But instead, He washed the feet of His disciples. Instead, He was flogged and scourged for our healing. Instead, He was nailed to a Cross and bled out for hours in agony, while carrying the weight of our sin.

Pray with me today...

Teach me, Father, how to live humbly and patiently, loving others in the same way your Son loved me.

Help me where I am weak and under pressure, so that I can withstand sin and overcome like Jesus.

Show me where I fall short and sin, that I may repent and choose a better path the next time.

In Jesus' mighty name, Amen.