Reflection: Do Nothing Out of Selfish Ambition
I have too many degrees. It’s rather odd, because when I was at school it didn’t look likely that I would get any. In reality, these degrees are a monument to someone with an indifferent self-esteem. They don’t particularly represent intelligence. (I am always surprised and humbled when I find intelligence – often in people you would least expect to find it in.) Instead, the degrees represent a capacity for hard work – nothing more. And whilst having a work ethic is good, it is less commendable when it is a slave to a wounded ego.
The gentle correction of Philippians 2:3 brings beauty, truth and emancipation to my neurotic self. ‘Do nothing out of selfish ambition.’ There it is. Simple: don’t try and impress a poor ego. To be successful in this is to know real freedom!
Ego, as you’ve no doubt discovered, is an impossible taskmaster to satisfy. Seeking to do so simply makes you a slave to pride. The reality is, nothing done to satisfy pride will cause you to be loved. At best, you can only hope to be envied – and that counts for nothing.
But here’s the really good bit: anything done for God’s kingdom will count for eternity (Mark 9:41).
Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me not to pander to the strident demands of my wounded self-esteem. In reality, my true worth only comes from my relationship with you. And the only things worth doing are the things you ask me to do.