“Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2:1-5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Toilet paper. It is one of those things that everybody uses, but isn’t in everyday conversation....until the pandemic of 2020.  Suddenly, what everyone uses became unavailable. How was toilet paper related to lockdown? Well, I am not an expert and I am not going to speculate on supply and demand and the broken supply chain. At the heart of the toilet paper shelf-clearing were some purely human factors: fear and selfishness. People reacted to the prospect of an indefinite shutdown by rushing to take care of themselves first in fear of what might not be available later. 

Maybe you were not a part of the TP scramble. I shook my head, dumbfounded as I looked at the empty shelves. I am not a hoarder and I don’t like to crowd my home closets with more stuff than I need right now. I had enough and was not really worried about running out, but, when a friend offered to pick up a package for me I consented, just in case. I guess that made me a part of it.

What about you? Maybe you ran out, but I’ll bet someone helped you. See, my friend didn’t just think of herself. She looked out for me as well. And if you ran out, there was probably someone willing to look out for you, too. Am I right?

No toilet paper may not be a life and death issue, but every home has some. Our culture has concluded that we need it, and fear of not having something needed motivated a selfishness that emptied the shelves at the store. But what would be the worst that could happen if you ran out? Does it really matter? 

You and I want to live for what matters, right? In order to live for what matters we need to decide in advance what is most important to us. When we decide in advance, we don’t react in fear. We tap into our faith. It isn’t a moment by moment decision. I settle in my heart what matters and then respond accordingly as situations unfold. 

What matters to me? Because I have received the love of Christ, because I belong to Him, because I have received the Holy Spirit and have experienced His blessings, because of what He has done for me, I want to live in a way that honors Him. That’s what matters to me. So, regardless of the situation, plenty or lack, I want to respond in faith not fear. Toilet paper or no toilet paper. I want to respond with an others-centered focus instead of a self-focus.

What does it look like to live an others-centered life? You can do this! 

Since Christ has done so much for you, follow His example in the way you approach life.  In Philippians 2: 1-5, how does Paul say the Philippians should respond to the relational and social challenges they are facing? With the same attitude as Christ. The same attitude as Christ! Have you ever thought about what kind of attitude Jesus had? One word describes HIs attitude: Unselfish. The attitude of Christ put the needs of others above His own. His whole earthly life was about you and me, what we needed. He not only wants us to respond in the same way, He helps us to respond the same way by His Holy Spirit within us. 

I spent most of my life as a fear-based person, but He has changed my heart. He has taken my eyes off of me and my needs and made me more aware of those around me.  When I stay focused on my own needs in fear, (It still happens!) then I am not following the example of Christ. What has Christ done for me? What have I received from Him? Through His unselfish sacrifice I have received more than I could ever describe. Grace to face anything. Love that is perfect and far surpasses all I can imagine. He has opened the door to the Father and given me a life that is far beyond anything I ever dreamed. I follow His example by giving to others. Jesus came with a focus on others. He lived with a focus on others. He was not the center of His own world. I must not be the center of mine. Yet that is how we naturally live, isn’t it? Without intentionality, I am the center of my own world and my needs come first. I buy up all the toilet paper. But, when I choose to respond to Christ’s love by following His example I put others first and make sure that they have what they need. 

Decide in advance to respond in a way that honors Christ.  Because of what He has done for me, I want to live for Him. So I decide in advance that what matters to Him is what matters to me. I decide in advance that I am going to choose to do what is important to Him in every situation. What matters to Him? People. Therefore, how I treat people is a priority. How I treat people shows that I am responding to the great gift of God’s love and salvation. 

So, what are some of the practical responses to God’s love based on the verses in Philippians? 

• Agree with each other and work together. Agreeing with each other is hard, but we can negotiate a win-win when our goal is to work together for the cause of Christ for the benefit of others.

• Stay focused on our one purpose. Our one purpose is to carry the message about Christ to each and every person. If you and I really believe that is what is most important, then how we respond in any situation will reflect that. Right?

• Be unselfish. Paul says this clearly in his charge to the Philippians. It’s a clear command to you and me as well. Why do we need such a clear directive? Because, let’s be honest, our natural bent is toward selfishness!

• Don’t scramble to advance yourself. Trying to impress others is always about advancing me and my own cause. When I decide in advance that the Gospel for everyone is what matters, then advancing the Gospel, not me, becomes the goal. 

• Humility. A rare quality in the 21st century. Humility accurately assesses my own weaknesses and strengths and supports the weaknesses of others while allowing their strengths to shine. 

• Look out for others.  In times of challenge it is natural to look out for yourself first. It is supernatural to look out for others. We need God’s help to do it! Lord, I need You here!

Be humble and serve each other as a grateful response to all that He has given you.  The same attitude as Christ. Christ came to fulfill the Father’s purpose. What was the Father’s purpose? To restore the relationship of humans with Himself. Did Jesus try to build His ministry for His own sake? Did He try to attract the approval and attention of people? Did He argue with people to get His own way? Did He jockey for position? He was not distracted by the approval and attention of others because His only motivation was to do the Father’s will. That’s it. That’s all. 

Doing the Father’s will meant that people were His priority. His only goal was to restore human relationship with the Heavenly Father. That may sound like a lofty goal for you and me, but this is the example He set and the charge He commissioned us with. 

2020 was a rough year for all of us. The thing about challenges is that they reveal what we normally hide. The pandemic toilet paper deprivation revealed our national self-centeredness. It made me consider how fear and selfishness may still motivate me and caused me to resolve again to follow Christ’s example of an others-centered attitude. I am grateful for a friend who looked out for me. I want to respond in the same way. How about you? 

Key thought: Living for what matters means living an others-centered life. 

A Scripture to consider: “Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2:1-5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

A YES challenge: Stop for a moment and reflect on the last day or two. Evaluate your responses to challenges that you faced. Did your responses reflect a self-centered or others-centered focus? Take some time to talk to God about it. How could you better follow Christ’s example?

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for Your example of obedience to the Father and humility in Your relationships with people. You never lost sight of Your purpose: The Father’s will, the restoration of human relationship with Him. You lived an others-centered life so that You could accomplish that. Help me to follow that example. To set aside self-centered reacting and to respond with humility and purpose. Amen.