Last night as we were leaving church my four-year-old decided to throw a small fit as we got into the car. I can’t even remember the cause. But when he realized he was upsetting his baby sister he quickly settled down and began to comfort her. I leaned over to my wife and said, “He can be really sweet when he gets past himself.” And that’s when I was hit with some heavenly Father perspective. I am sure that the aforementioned phrase probably is something that often is expressed in the mind of God towards his earthly vessels. “They can really be sweet when they get past themselves.” The problem is, we don’t often get past ourselves in order to be sweet to one another.

We live in a Fast Food society where our demands are met almost instantaneously. We potentially can get anything we want simply by ordering it offline or going down to the local super-center to buy it. Our culture has ingrained in us that ultimately life is all about me and no one else. Fortunately, we are called to be counter-culture. We are called to care for others before ourselves. Philippians 2:4 says, “You should look not to your own interest, but to the interests of others.” It’s a radical concept…but only because the society that gives us value teaches us to value ourselves first.

The joy of watching my children grow up and learn life is invaluable in helping me understand the dynamics of human relationships. But lately I have learned, that they can be really sweet when they get past themselves. And I think the same an be said for us.