We live in a very transactional culture. If I do “a” for you then I expect you to do “b” for me. If I do “a” and don’t receive “b” then I get upset. We have this built-in expectation that if I do something for you then you need to reciprocate accordingly.
Yes, I expect that if I pay for a double bacon cheeseburger I will get a double bacon cheeseburger but is this the attitude to have with our relationships?
What if we set out with the other person’s best interest in mind? What if we sought to see how much value we could provide to them instead of expecting something in return?
What if every day we worked to out-serve the people in our lives?
Not with the intent that they will one day return the favor but rather to make their lives better.
Oh JT that’s a cute utopian dream but people are selfish so it will never work. May I present exhibit a:
“whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” -Mark 10:43-45
2000 years later the Son of Man, Jesus, is still out serving everyone. What was his motivation to come serve and give his life for us? “For the joy set before him” (Hebrews 12:2)
May we have the same joy to give sacrificially to others in our lives.