Considering Others “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word.” John 17:20 (NKJV)The night before He died, Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. We can only imagine the agony He must have felt, knowing the suffering He faced in just a few hours.
I am amazed that on this night, of all nights, Jesus not only prayed for His disciples, but He also prayed for you and me. Here in John 17:20, He prays for those who will believe in Him and that includes us.
Jesus always thought of others. He gave His very life for others. We are supposed to follow His example and serve Him by helping others and considering the needs of others before our own.
That does not come easily. Our human nature is self-centered. It’s natural for us to think of ourselves, and what we want.
When I was about 6 or 7, I went to a friend’s birthday party in the apartment upstairs from mine. We were playing games and when it was time for each game to begin, I would yell, “Me first, me first!” I wanted to be the first one to do everything. I wasn’t thinking about anyone else, not even my friend whose birthday it was. I thought of myself first, and I wanted to be first to do each game. How do I know? After the party, my mother corrected me. She had been downstairs during the party and since the windows were open, she heard me keep saying, “me first.” My mother told me I would not be allowed to go to any more parties if she ever heard me say “me first” again! And I think she sent me to my room to think about it.
I had a lot to learn. Babies start out in life crying to get their needs met. It’s natural for them to think only of themselves. But as we grow, we learn there are other people in the world and we have to consider their needs, not just our own.
Being considerate means putting ourselves in others’ shoes and seeing things from their perspective. For example, let’s say you go to your friend’s house on a Saturday. You’ve both been looking forward all week to spending the day together, going swimming, watching a video, talking, just having fun. After a couple of hours, your friend’s mother says it’s time for you to go home. You go home, but it’s only 2:00, and you’re really disappointed that you’re home with nothing to do when you and your friend had planned to do so many things that day.
Stop and put yourself in this mother’s shoes. Perhaps she was very tired and needed to rest that afternoon. Or maybe she had errands to do and needed her daughter to go with her. She may have told her daughter that she could have a friend over for just a few hours, but your friend didn’t tell you that, so your expectations were different.
You will probably never know her reasons for sending you home, but you can be like Jesus and think of others first and put their needs before your own. It is not easy!
But this is an opportunity to die to your self and what you want. This pleases Our Lord because we are showing real love when we sacrifice our will for others.
If Jesus had just thought of Himself, He would not have prayed for us that night in the garden. He did not have to die; He did it for us. In fact, if He had thought only of Himself, He could have stayed in heaven with the Father and never come to earth. I’m glad He did! Let’s remember His example and strive to be more like Him.
Copyright, 2007, Laurie Latour.
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