Did you take time last week to pray for the Holy Spirit to enlighten you on what you do that pushes the buttons of your loved ones. Most of us won’t enjoy this exercise, but it is beneficial if you want to improve relationships and get out of destructive comfort zones. Really, consider what triggers most of the conflicts with your spouse, your children, your co-workers, your friends, or whoever, as it may be the result of a trigger which can be traced back to you. Most won’t do this, because it takes a great deal of personal honesty, as we like to hang onto habits we are accustomed to. Even bad habits can start to feel comfortable and will become the zone in which we want to stay. It is more comfortable to stay the same than to change, because we generally want to stay selfish!  Selfishness is a destructive habit and like anything else, gets stronger the more we practice it. The more we practice gratitude and the good things in life, the more grateful we become, but the more we practice selfishness the more selfish we become and the more comfortable we will be with being this way.

Philippians 2:3-4 (NIV)

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.

So, What… for This Week?

You can start to identify your selfishness by doing a self-fast for one day. It only takes one day to see how much you put your own self first as opposed to putting others first. A self-fast is much like a food fast, but instead of giving up food for the day, you will give up yourself. As you encounter choices for the self-fast, consciously, purposely put yourself at the bottom of the list. Try it and let the results put you on a new path away from your comfort zone!