Selfish to Selfless

 

The girls and I were watching select episodes of the 2023 Mrs. American Pageant. We love watching the interviews, a time when contestants answer randomly selected questions. This year the pageant winner, Hannah Neeleman, gave her famous viral motherhood response.  

 

When asked “When did you feel most empowered?”; Hannah spoke of the empowering feelings attributed to experiencing motherhood.  

Experiencing motherhood definitely carries a new level of maturity into a women’s life. Prior to becoming a mother, I was in a very self-centered phase of my life. Everything I did revolved around me.  

However, from the time our firstborn was born, I naturally began to transition into an entirely new phase. One that was no longer self-centered but now altogether family and child centered.  

Though I enjoyed every moment of the first phase, what I call the single “selfish” phase. I definitely found more fulfillment and satisfaction when I entered the motherhood phase, what I call the “selfless” phase. 

In the same way, the spiritual journey of a believer involves the same two phases.  

 

One that may begin as self-centered and self-preserving, but eventually transitions into the mature “selfless” phase. With a focus on preserving others.  

While the Bible provides many examples to learn from, I like the example of Elijah’s journey to Zarephath.

Elijah is given instructions:  

Leave here ... and hide yourself by the Brook of Cherith,.... And you are to drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there. (1 Ki. 17: 3-4 BSB) 

At the start of his journey, God divinely nourished and sustained Elijah. Elijah was in self-preservation mode.

At the start of our spiritual journey, our focus is mainly on nurturing and sustaining ourselves. A time when we eagerly soak up the Gospel message.  

 

...He went and lived by the brook Cherith ...Some time later,..., the brook dried up.... (vs. 6) 

 

However, you can only remain in self-preservation for so long... 

Though God could have surely continued to sustain Elijah by preventing the brook from drying up and commanding the ravens to feed him, it was time for Elijah to continue to phase two. 

 

Then the word of the LORD came to him, “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to feed you.” (vs. 9) 

 

Elijah’s survival was now going to be connected to a poor widow and her son.  Notice God divinely ordained it this way.  God was escorting him from self-preservation to the selfless service of others. His nourishment and strength were now dependent on the faithful response of this widow.  

So, it is on our spiritual journey. Eventually, we mature and come to the realize that God brought us this far not to just sustain us, but that through us, he could also sustain others. Our fulfillment and satisfaction are directly connected with the faithful response of others to the gospel message we live and preach.