Me, Mine, Ours...!!

This photo caption on a social media feed took my attention. It is a perfect caption for a family picture but I began to ponder upon the message that this caption holds. We are living in a world of nuclear families and selfish individuals where the boundaries of relations are often confined. A lot of families and individuals tend to themselves in this context. There is a lot of me, mine and ours where personal interests are paramount.

The words of Apostle James are noteworthy here in Philippians 2:4 "Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interest of others". The early church stood out in this regard. They were selfless and had everything in common. There was so much of sharing and caring for one another and the world knew Christians for their unique character. The character of Christ and his teachings were so much in action through the lives of these selfless individuals, families and churches. However in modern times, Christ professing individuals have forgotten to adapt christian values in their lives. Personal interests are more important than those of others. There is more of me and less of us. The world is seeing less of Christ and more of self resulting in the loss of christian testimony in our communities. We are all often busy in our own lives that we do not even bother to say a greeting to our neighbor next door. We might communicate within our own family circles or churches but the world is seldom hearing Christ or feeling his touch in their lives.

The world needs a healing touch, they need someone to hear out their pain, to wipe their tears, to share words of love and compassion, to be a beacon of light in a world of darkness,to be their all ears and eyes. There is so much of hatred and cruelty in this world. As the salt of the world, it is the duty of the believers to bind the wounds of individuals that are hurt. They need to hear the message of the gospel. They need to see Jesus Christ who saves and not merely a mere person in history remembered for Christmas or Easter. The world still waits for individuals who can selflessly showcase Jesus Christ in action. May the selfless love and compassion of Jesus Christ esteeming other individuals than oneself pour out freely through our lives and into the needy around us.