Our Differences Aren’t Better – Just Different
Word-of-the-Day: ‘(3) Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, (4) not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. (5) In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus…’ (Philippians 2:3-5)
Often our focus, especially here in southwest Florida, is in events happening elsewhere in the United States and the world. It’s easy as we often anticipate certain news coming from certain areas, and in general, except for hurricanes and their aftermaths, nothing of note seems to happen among us here on the Gulf coast. We see crime in our big cities, but usually here it’s quiet and crime is an exception, not an expectation.
But there are incidents in our backyard; crime does occur, and though rare sometimes rises to the hideousness of what is reported in our urban areas. We have had crimes such as murders, robberies, and other egregious offenses that can quickly grab our attention, and just as suddenly become forgotten. We sometimes overlook local news items as they aren’t often splashy or as promoted as these are smaller in size and stature.
Sometimes anonymity can be good; crime flying under the radar, in terms of Florida attracting tourists and visitors, is welcomed, and fortunately crime is not high in our area which benefits us and our guests. But this can also lead us into a false sense of denial, or ‘it can’t happen here’, or it can make us a bit haughty, a sense of ‘we behave better here’. Being unknowing of the work done around us can also lead into denying the good efforts made by others; we hear of national efforts of charity and helping others, but we don’t see the efforts of local organizations doing the same work in a local setting.
Paul, in his letter to the church in Philippi, a city in eastern Greece in the Macedonian region and known for having gold mines and a rich agricultural industry, as well as a regional seat of Roman governance at this time. Paul’s Philippian epistle is written while he is in prison in Rome, and it is possible that the church there was going through something similar to what we are facing in southwest Florida; things were happening elsewhere that were ‘big news’, which pushed the local news down in perceived importance. Being a rich city at this time, with gold and food being plentiful, it’s likely the people were of the mindset of ‘crime can’t happen here’ and ‘we are doing better here’ crept into their thoughts.
He begins with a prayer of thanksgiving to them, and tells them of his personal struggles of being in chains as a prisoner – yet blessed in glorifying Jesus through his suffering. He then implores them to live a life worthy of Christ by standing firm in their Faith, before he writes in Philippians 2 of imitating Jesus’ humility and avoiding hearsay or grumbling about the church or others. It is likely the Philippians were in part thinking of their social stature, that they were rich and blessed, and even though they were harassed due to their Faith in Jesus, compared to other Christian churches, they were doing very well.
Thus, Paul advises them in Philippians 2:3-4 to be careful and not place themselves in the mindset of ‘I’m better than you’ due to their wealth, locale, or social stature. It’s easy to do this, for example, when we live in the relative warmth of subtropical Florida in the winter when the northern tier of our nation suffers from extreme cold, snow and ice. ‘I’m not shoveling snow’ or ‘I don’t need a diesel-burning furnace’ are truths, but they can also be statements of conceit. From a local standpoint, a cold spell in Florida usually will mean an extra blanket or two on the bed at night, but we don’t always think of those who live among us who are homeless and may not have an extra cover to bundle up inside their tent.
The ‘I’m better than you’ mindset may not be front and center in our thoughts, but if its there, it can lead to a form of conceit that prevents us from acting in Jesus’ love and helping others. Paul was trying to tell the Philippians having a stash of gold is good, but it is better if they shared some of it with those around them who didn’t have much; he is telling us that if we have a stack of blankets we should share a few with those who need an extra one or two.
Instead of ‘I’m better than you’, Paul is stating to change that to ‘Let me help others through my abundance’; look at what others may need and provide what you can to bring them up closer to where you are at. We often see things as ‘I need just one more’, but it should be ‘I have plenty, so let me share my excess with those who don’t have plenty’. It may not appear to be in our interest, but when we can help others, we find our needs, sometimes needs we don’t know we have, are met.
Jesus’ life is an example of this; He didn’t have to leave heaven to come live among us but he did so to provide us an example of proper living and to provide us a viable way of Salvation – a Salvation we could never obtain on our own but only through His giving through His own abundance.
Don’t fall into the trap of ‘we’re better here’. We do have similar problems, and some of our problems are worse than what can occur elsewhere. Give loving to those who can provide for those who don’t have resources, or need someone to tell them the Gospel of Christ. Love those who are not like you or are in your position in life. It’s better to be thinking ‘who can I help’, and then go help those who you can help, and pray for those who you can pray for.
