PUTTING OURSELVES SECOND
Whenever we are dealing with matters between ourselves and another person, we need to put our desires aside. Our first concern must be the welfare of our family, friends, and neighbors.
We are called to do something that is not natural. In fact, placing the needs of others above ourselves can be downright painful. We say to ourselves that the other person does not deserve any consideration, grace, or mercy. It may even be that we have been wronged and deserve an apology.
What we need to understand is that our happiness and well-being depend on forgiveness, not on justice. We are not to judge anyone else; that is the position of our Father alone. Only he sees the heart as well as the intentions. We see only the physical and emotional consequences of dealing with daily life.
God loves each one of us because of who we are in him and not what we are in the world. We must always seek to see the world from God's divine perspective, especially when we begin to think of ourselves more highly than we ought.
Swaffield, Bruce C. Devotions for Life: New Ideas from Old Ways. Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: Cambridge Scholars, 2013 p. 99.
