Fix your flat tire

Time and time again I see people going to run a marathon, or promoting some sort of charitable cause. We live a world where doing a 5K is the "cool" thing to do, and we have runs and walks that will spray paint at you, have different rock bands play, and even have zombies chase you as you run. These events flood my Facebook wall and my twitter posts weekly, and it got me thinking... 

Instead of focusing so much on trying to help a cause, we need to fix ourselves first before we can help anything else. Just like a runner with a sprained ankle, or a bike with flat tires, we may be able to help others, but we will not get very far because we are not at our full potential. We may also make ourselves worse in the process by delaying our own healing yet constantly trying to heal those around us. 

You may be asking, "How do I know if I am not at my full potential? And, how do I heal myself?" My simple response to you is, you will never be at your full potential by yourself even if you try your hardest. As humans we are all sinners and can never reach our full potential because we are not perfect. This is why we need Jesus Christ who died for our sins and so that we may be forgiven. Only then, through Christ, can we reach our full potential. This requires a relationship with God through accepting Jesus Christ. You can heal yourself by going to Him, asking for forgiveness and turning your life over to Him so that your focus is more on Him and less of you.

That may have not made any sense to you, or you may not think that there is anything wrong in your life. "The truth is...we put on masks every day, whether it be to hide a secret sin, to cover an insecurity, or just to try & fit in." (NGEN radio) This means that we are short of a relationship with God. Why are we so afraid to pray to the God of the universe and confront Him with our sin? He already knows about it and He is waiting to have a relationship with you; all you have to do is ask. 

When the bible states, "love your neighbor as yourself", you must first understand how much you love yourself before you can know how much to love your neighbor. Also, the first part of that statement, which is the greatest commandment of all is "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself." Thus, preceding loving yourself and your neighbor, you should love your God first. 

Taking time to help the needy, donating to the poor, and helping with charitable causes are important tasks for us as obedient and humble human beings. However, we cannot fully help others before we love God.

"Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,  not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others." (Philippians 2: 1-4)