Finding Fulfillment

Being fulfilled is a result of serving others.  But it is hard to get there...

If you’ve ever watched hummingbirds, you know that they are incredibly selfish. They will fight each other all day over a feeder.  The acrobatics can be very fun to watch. But they take it very seriously.  Hummingbirds are quite aggressive and will even attack larger birds such as hawks. I’ve seen one attack a peregrine falcon!

As it turns out, selfishness is something deeply ingrained in us, much deeper than we realize. When I was single, I dealt with selfishness and thought that progress was made. When I got married, I realized anew how selfish I really was. Changes needed to be made to grow my relationship with my wife. Of course, when we had children, we realized what selfishness really was, both theirs and ours. As it turns out, this is one of the ways we can be pretty sure that we all have “original sin.” It is a funny thing though. We can see selfishness easily in others but not at all in ourselves. That is, not until we have some kind of behavior “mirror” to see our behavior “reflection.” Children are especially good at this.

In the sports world, I recently noticed that the current football coach of the New Orleans Saints had t-shirts made with the word “Team” written in large letters above the word “Me,” in small letters. Why? He is doing what all good coaches know to do.  If the team plays as individuals they do poorly. But if they play together, making the necessary personal sacrifices for the team, they are much more likely to win. Great teams work together. This shows the natural outcome of selfishness vs. servanthood. It is a Scriptural principle. But Scripture is true even if it is accessed in a non-religious context. Great coaches know this.

Now, let’s think about this on a personal level. How good do you feel about yourself when you do something that you are certain is extremely selfishness? Yah, me too. Selfishness feels great initially but fades instantly. By contrast, when we serve, we have a long-term sense of fulfillment. Why is that? As it turns out, we all were created to serve.  When we serve others, we actually act like God Himself. This was very evident in the life of Jesus. Look at his daily routine. How striking. In fact, Mark 10:45 communicates what Jesus was all about when it says “For even the Son of Man (Jesus) came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” 

We will all find ourselves with a more fulfilling life if we take up the example of serving others. That’s how God intended it. Like Jesus, we too are meant to serve.