walking a mile in another's shoes

For the past week I've dabbled in the domestic engineer business. For the lay person that means that I stayed home with my 3 children, all under the age of 5, while my wife flew across the country for a funeral. I have often made the mistake of saying that I'm the only one in the family that works. I wil never say that again. Usually when I would utter such nonsense about me being the only one who works, my wife would respond by either giving me a look that said, "you have know idea what you're talking about," or she would gently remind me that she works just as hard as I do except she doesn't get paid. Of course I would acknowledge the corrections, but I never completely realized how hard that JOB really was until I experienced it for myself. The cooking, the cleaning, the never ending loads of laundry, plus the constant arbitration between toddlers is more than enough to send me into early retirement. I hate to say this, but it's the hardest, most thankless job I've ever had. One thing that has changed though is the increased admiration and empathy I have for my wife and her job.

Through that experience I was reminded how self-centered we can tend to be. Maybe you are the type that believes that nobody has it worse than you. You have the hardest job, the toughest relationship, the worst kids, the ugliest house or the lousiest DNA. I believe we all have the tendancy to exagerate our circumstances whether good or bad. That's why I believe we all need to do a little bit better at listening more and talking less, and empathizing more and complaining less.

The Bible says in Philippians 2 that we should, "look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." The verses around this verse are talking about how to think and live more like Jesus. Of course Jesus was the greatest example of looking to others needs above His own. Walking in another man's shoes will allow your compassion for others to grow. It's easy to complain. I can always find something to complain about in my life, but to truly be a blessing to others I need to look at others' needs before my own.

Just something to think about....