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Live It!
Today's best advice for practical Christian living

July 23, 2004

A Selfish Symphony?
Max Lucado

Self-promotion. Self-preservation. Self-centeredness. It's all about me!

Everyone told us it was all about us, didn't they? Weren't we urged to
look out for number one? Find our place in the sun? Make a name for
ourselves? We thought self-celebration would make us happy...

But what chaos this philosophy creates. What if a symphony employed such
an outlook? Can you imagine an orchestra with an "It's all about me"
approach to music? Each artist clamoring for self-_expression. Tubas
blasting nonstop.

Percussionists pounding to get attention. The cellist shoving the
flutist out of the center-stage chair. The trumpeter standing atop the
directors' stool tooting his horn. The sheet music is disregarded. The
director is ignored. What do you have but an endless tune-up session!

Harmony? Hardly.

Happiness? Are the musicians happy to be in the group? Not at all. Who
enjoys contributing to a cacophony?

You don't. We don't. We were not made to live this way. But aren't we
guilty of doing just that?

No wonder our homes are so noisy, businesses so stress-filled,
government so cut-throat and harmony so rare. If you think it's all
about you and I think it's all about me, we have no hope for a melody.
We've chased so many skinny rabbits that we've missed the fat one: the
God-centered life.

What would happen if we took our place and played our parts? If we
played the music the Maestro gave us to play? If we made His song our
highest priority?
Would we see a change in families? We'd certainly hear a change. Less,
"Here is what I want!" More, "What do you suppose God wants?"

What if a businessman took that approach? Goals of money and
name-making, he'd shelve. God-reflecting would dominate.

And your body? Ptolemistic thinking says, "It's mine, enjoy it."
God-centered thinking acknowledges, "It's God's, respect it."

Talk about a healthy shift. Life makes more sense when we accept our
place. The God-centered life works. And it rescues us from a life that
doesn't.