Self Centered Is Off Centered

The only time that me-me-me-me is ever appropriate is when a vocalist is warming up vocal chords to sing.

We take our first breath on earth as self centered little people whose only thought is keeping our tummies full and our britches dry. Our self concerns ramp up a notch when we become aware of others in our lives, often when a sibling or playmate has the nerve to reach for one of our toys. Toddlers may having minimal vocabulary, but how interesting that  little ones seldom have trouble vocalizing “Mine”!  Often at the top of their lungs.

As adults we momentarily smile when we see this protective behavior and think, How childish. But if we are honest with ourselves, how much have we matured beyond the “mine” stage in our own life? How many times is our world focused on “my way or the highway”?

The maturity indicator on the scale of life is balanced when there is equal focus on not only our needs and wants, but more so on the needs and wants of the person perched on the other pan of the balance scale.

Allow me to present this thought to ponder: would my life be richer if my scale’s balance indicator were off center and the heavier side of my scale was what I added to the other person’s pan instead of my own?

Maturity is measured by our ability to look beyond ourselves and heap care and praise and love on others, but how often is our primary thought, “How much have they done for me?”  before we reach out to help someone? How many of us have a debit and credit accounting system in our ‘do unto others’ memory bank?  Does the amount of love you give your spouse or friend or family member depend on how much they have lavished upon you?

Is your life scale weighted down in a lopsided manner with me-me-me or is your life scale up in the clouds because you have given of yourself to others? Have you noticed you are closer to heaven when you give yourself away in serving others first? Other centered can be just as off center as self centered. What do your life scales look like? In what direction are they off centered? Or are they balanced?

What do you intend to do about it?