Let there be no more resentment, no more anger or temper, no more violent self-assertiveness and selfishness, no more slander and no more malicious remarks. Be kind to each other, be understanding and compassionate, tender and open hearted. Be as ready to forgive others as God, for Christ’s sake, has forgiven you. — Ephesians 4:32

If you’re like us, it’s really easy to be selfish. It’s much harder to be selfless or more thoughtful about others. It takes a lot of energy to think of others, and we are all usually tired, busy, worn out, burned out, distracted…

Let’s face it, our default settings are to focus on ourselves. If someone cuts us off while we’re driving, we’re not usually practicing empathy and hoping the other person has a better day or feels less stressed. Our default setting is to lash out in anger…”How dare that person cut ME off!”

If someone takes too long in the check out line in front of us at the grocery store, we’re probably not pondering the daily struggles they have to face or what their perspective on the situation might be…we’re usually just sitting there getting impatient and angry. Impatience is one great indicator of selfishness because it assumes that our time is more important than another person’s time…”How dare you take up my precious time! Can’t you see I’m in a hurry here??”

Yet, all great religious traditions teach patience, humility, compassion, and selflessness. In Colossians, Paul teaches Christians to clothe (or immerse) themselves in patience, kindness, and humility. Must be important, right?

Prayer of Selflessness

– 5 minutes: breathe in, breathe out…breathe in, breathe out…

Teach me patience, kindness, and humility…

Teach me to live beyond my default settings of selfishness…

Forgive my lack of empathy for others on a daily basis…in the tediousness of life…in the practices of everyday life…in my habits and in my thoughts…

Open my heart to others.

Amen