Part 5 in Andy’s series on what he learned on a family vacation to Disneyworld. Today he’ll look at how we should put others first.
Vacations used to be about me: what do I want to eat, where do I want to go, how do I want to spend my time off? That changes some when you get married. That changes A LOT when you have kids. So many new factors are introduced into the equation.
My wife, Leah, did a phenomenal job taking into account the needs and desires of 2 kids, 2 adults, and 2 grandparents when putting together a great plan for our 4 days at the Disney Parks in February. But even in those plans, I had to remind myself constantly, that this vacation is not about me.
It’s not about me
When a line for a ride that I didn’t necessarily want to go on was longer than we anticipated, it’s not about me. When my kids wanted to ride a ride for the 6th consecutive time even though I didn’t see it as that great of a ride, it’s not about me.
When I wanted to skip the last show of the night to beat the crowd out of the parking lot and make our night less stressful, again, it’s not about me. When my feet hurt from walking, but my kids feet hurt more and their bodies were tired, it’s not about my back or my legs or my feet.
I need to remember that lesson as we are back in the normalcy of life. It’s still not about me!
Putting others first
As I was driving to the Van Wert coaches group that I facilitate this morning, God breathed a similar phrase into my mind and my heart. It’s something I have been repeating since 5:30am, because I need to remember. “Not my kingdom come, but Thy kingdom come.”
Yes Lord, I hear you.
How often are we doing work because we find fulfillment and satisfaction in it? We want what we do to matter. We want to make an impact on this world. Those are good desires but they can drive us to the wrong place.
When it’s about building my kingdom, I’ve missed the whole point.
I need to get back to building His kingdom. The crazy thing is, that may involve the very same activities I am already doing. But it’s a change in mindset that needs to happen. Not my will but Thy will.
A good place to re-center that mindset is the place where Jesus taught us to pray and re-center. I encourage you to read all of Matthew 6 but here’s a good piece to begin pondering and sitting with:
5 things we get by serving others
Jesus instructs us to lead through servant leadership. When we obey His commands there are things that we get out of it. Learn what those are in our free guide.
Download our guide here