Themselves

And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them. 

 - From 2 Corinthians 5

Self-importance is a tense, stressful lifestyle. 

Until we're perfect, and immortal, there will always be something a little bit wrong. There is always something to complain about. The person that wants to complain does not need to look far. 

When your focus is on your own feelings, your own aches and pains, your own disappointments and frustrations, you find that the feeder of things to worry about, is constantly replenishing itself. 

There is no such thing as a perfect day. Even a sneeze, or a mosquito whirring about, makes a perfect day imperfect. Everything may be going right, all day. But inevitably, something goes wrong. And if you look just a little, probably scores of things are wrong, right there in your orbit. 

But if you live for others . . . if you live for Christ . . . even the little bit you do for them, seems like a refreshing sacrifice. When you feed your desire to care, and to serve, it multiplies in effectiveness in the good it does, and it multiplies in its benefits to you, personally. First, it takes your focus off of yourself, which has it's own benefits - you aches, pains, and worries magically drift away! Second, it helps a person with hidden pains and griefs buried deep, that you do not know are there. 

We never know the lasting impact of our good deeds to others. 

Living for yourself is costly, overwhelming, hurtful, disappointing. Yet, we emphasize it because, like children, it may be all we know. 

But living for others, is liberating.