Lobster in a Bucket

Accounting

One of my prayer supporters sent the following message to me in response to my most recent prayer email.

Dear Matt:

I have been praying for you every week for the last several months. I have sensed a lack of love for the people you are ministering to and a focus on you rather than them. I will be praying more specifically that our Lord will show you His love for them and for Him and that He will expand your vision and love for them and the children you are ministering too. May our Lord bless you. 2 Cor. 3:5

In life, I think I desire in my sin to live a life absorbed with myself. This has been true both in life in America, and Africa. Maybe because of American culture it’s easier to ignore the self-absorption. After all, if we’re living in a culture of narcissism, self-absorption is just par for the course.

Not only is it pretty obvious when you’re self-absorbed here. It’s also pretty pathetic. Being self-absorbed in the context of poor, under-privileged school students, and super-smart, but needy missionary kids doesn’t have much to recommend itself. I think of some of the times I sing and dance in front of my students, not because I’m in a good mood, but because I really want someone to laugh at me. Blah.