Second Place

We are driven to succeed. Life, in every angle, will require you to conquer, overcome and sometimes even compete, so in a sense, succeeding is necessary for our survival.

It is well weaved into our way of life; in everything we do there is always some kind of direct or indirect requirement to succeed. It really is everywhere, think about it: Something as obvious as a job interview or a promotion, but even just a conversation, telling a joke, asking a question, everything we do is in some way connected to a desired outcome.

This is nothing funny, it is absolutely normal, I just walked you past that so that you would get what I am going to say next. So now that we understand that everything we do, we do with purpose, let us look a little closer at our lives. If we peel off a few layers and really look into our ways, we will find that by nature, we are a little selfish.

We do most things because we reap some kind of benefit from it for ourselves. The law and the culture we live in, supports a self-serving way of life that gives us the room to do our “what I want, what I need, what I deserve and it’s my right” dance and nobody bats an eye as long as you don’t stop them from doing their dance too.

For the things we don’t like doing, we have a “why do I have to, I’m tired, maybe next time, someone else will” dance. It is easy for us to be self-serving and anything other than that, is a sacrifice.

Where it comes to our actions, even the smallest actions, let us start asking ourselves these two questions: What am I trying to achieve and why? Soon you will find how much space there is in your life to serve, how much room there is for you to take second place and how many opportunities you have to benefit others instead of yourself.

Now you may ask, what will you achieve by doing this and why? In Philippians 2: 5-8 we read this: “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who,:- although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men” then in 1 Corinthians 10:24 “Let no one seek his own good, but that of his neighbor”,

And then the words of Jesus Himself: Luke 22:24-30 “And there arose also a dispute among them as to which one of them was regarded to be greatest. And He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who have authority over them are called ‘Benefactors.’ But it is not this way with you, but the one who is the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like the servant. For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But I am among you as the one who serves….”

So, what we are trying to achieve, is to benefit others and why we are trying to achieve it, is to serve as we have been served. It should not be something we do occasionally or when we feel the time is right, it is a way of life, every day in everything way of life. It is humility and it is love. It doesn’t matter if they know, it doesn’t matter if they deserve it, it matters that you do it.

When you get the chance to share Jesus, you do it, when you get the change to help someone, you do it, when you have an opportunity to put someone else first, you do it. Take second place, because someone took second place, staggered up a hill, carried a cross and gave His life, for your benefit.

Ephesians 5:1-2 “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.  And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

May God bless you and keep you safe. May you find new ways to love like He did and build your riches only in heaven. May the wisdom of God be your guidance and His peace be your comfort.

Blessings,

Miryna van As