Individualism does not come from God
Today I opened my cell phone and the first thing I saw on my social networks was a publication that praised the fact that people increasingly want to be alone. This is not in the context of taking time for yourself and reflecting, but of not wanting to live with other people, because as it was written in the unfortunate image “it’s work”.
Now, is this what God expects from us? Is this the way Jesus would act? I have the impression that with each passing year I see a hyper valorization of “me”, where what is individual over collective good comes out. However, as much as the world is like this, we must not conform to this “standard”.
We didn’t come to be served, but to serve
Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
Our savior, who is worthy of all honor and glory, did not come into the world to be served, but to serve. He washed the feet of his disciples, being the main example of humility that we can have and showing what attitude he expects from his faithful.
For our homes, churches and relationships to be healthy, individuality cannot be the standard of behavior. Our individuality is important, because as the body of Christ, each one of us with our own characteristics has a function, but this does not mean that we act superior to the collective welfare.
Where “me” is more important, there is no love.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
We have been called to love and this is the description of what love is in the Bible, but when we put ourselves above everything else, we fail to act in this way and then we open the door to lack of understanding and judgment, because if my interests are more important, then I have no time or eyes to see the need and pain of others.
No longer I, but Christ
For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain
Philippians 1:21
When we surrender our lives to the Lord, we no longer live for ourselves, but for Christ. In a world where words are easily twisted, this can be understood as a loss of freedom, precisely because we live in an environment where individual desires are above the collective.
However, what we find in Christ is freedom to live, for we are freed from guilt, from fear, from the weight of our mistakes. We receive a new garment and immeasurable love from the one who loved the most. With Christ, we are never alone, for He does not abandon.
So many times we create walls and isolate ourselves, exactly because we are afraid of abandonment, but today I want to tell you that in Christ you will never be alone, he loves you. We cannot change the way people act, but we can do our part so that there is more and more compassion and space for the collective in our midst.
As we judge, so we are judged
Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?
Matthew 7:1-3
As I mentioned before, individualism makes room for judgment because we put ourselves in a place of superiority and this passage from Matthew 7 has led me to reflect a lot in the last few days, as we have also seen above, love does not think evil of the other.
Conclusion
I invite you to take some time today to think about your actions, if you are not being individualistic in some area of your life. Because when reading about individualism we can fall into the mistake of “identifying” several people around us who act in this way, but we forget to look at ourselves.
For, in a world where the “I” is overrated, we find it increasingly difficult to identify our flaws and deal with them in a healthy way, not only accepting them and expecting everyone else to accept them as well. So, take a moment, reflect on this, we all make mistakes and this is not a reason for shame, but for a change of attitude.
God bless you!
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by
Nicole Leao
Nicole Leão, faço parte da equipe da Bíblia JFA.
