Many Bible teachers say that the first sin was pride. Lucifer was prideful and wanted to be like God and take His place. I’ve considered that pride is not the root; it is selfishness. The events in our world convince me that the selfishness we see in little children is rampant in adults.
On the road, drivers who are late or want to just go fast endanger themselves and everyone around them. I do speed a little but 10-20 mph over the limit is frightening. Recently on a major freeway here in Houston, I witnessed 2 drivers of sports cars slow down in 2 middle lanes, letting the traffic in front of them move faster until they had several hundred yards in front of them. They drag raced each other until they caught up with the traffic. Afterward, they raced each other, weaving in and out of traffic, and another vehicle joined them.
A woman in a Houston suburb has twin boys. She bikes them to school daily using a push/pull bike carrier on local bike paths because one has special needs and goes to a school near her neighborhood. Her other son attends the closest elementary school. She bikes because it’s faster to get them there on time than driving. Per the traffic officer’s instructions, she pulls up to the front of the schools rather than wait in the carpool line; she got so much criticism she had to respond on Facebook to explain.
I asked myself if I had been selfish recently; we were given the opportunity to volunteer for overtime. I chose not to because I believed I should protect my body from overuse syndrome/repetitive stress injury and because the stress of my job requires downtime. I know I was right to refuse; when mandatory overtime started, the symptoms of overuse started and I have been less patient since. I may have been right, but I need to be at peace and not take my stress out on others. And I’m adding treatment for my symptoms.
One sees other examples regularly; people cut in line to save time, they push past others to get to where they’re going, etc.
But there are those who choose courtesy and safety. They ascribe to the scripture to prefer others. They make the world a safer and happier place. I want to be like them; mindful of others and their needs. I want to be the person who shows the reality of this truth in my life every day:
Romans 12:10a: Be devoted to one another with [authentic] brotherly affection [as members of one family], give preference to one another in honor; (AMP)
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