Selfishness at Christmas

I have been a christian for a little over a year now. About a year and 3 months. Last christmas I had a friend who worked very hard to construct something for me. She put her heart and soul into this gift and when she gave it to me all I could muster was an unenthusiastic oh thanks thats awesome. I felt horrible about it. Ive lived my whole life almost as a non-christian and living a spoiled lifestyle at that. I get what I want when I want it. I always have and now that some one puts their heart into it, I cant appreciate it. The same came this year when my mother found me wonderful gifts. Half of which I allready had or didnt need. I felt horrible with my lifeless eyes and feeling of thats not good enough mom you should have tried harder.

My mother is a hard working mom, she helps me out financially, she gives me advice when I need it, she loves me immensly. She has done everything she can for my and yet I cannot show the appreciation that I need to. I was looking forward to a wonderful night with my family and now I feel depression instead. My family and I are going on a vacation in a week, how will I feel then, will that be good enough that they paid for a trip to Cancun? Will that fulfill my selfishness? Ive never even told my parents that I love them. Its just something that I dont feel that I can do right now. I feel the need to but I cannot bring myself to do it.

I need to find a way out of this selfish, materialistic lifestyle. I dont even know where to start. What am I to do to appreciate things more from my family. What am I to do to appreciate all the things that God has blessed me with.

Lord, please take away my selfish and materialistic ways. Help me walk away from the things of this world so that I may freely worship you without these things. Bring me back to you God, Bring me back to when I was a toddler and I knew not of the expensive luxuries that I have now. Jesus died for my selfishness. Lord Cleanse my spirit with the blood of Jesus. Clean my heart of the things of this world that blind my vision. Help me to appreciate the beautiful things that you have made. Help me appreciate the skills that you have given others. Help me to have a humble heart. Show me a path through this world, the right path, the path that leads to you. In Jesus name I pray. Amen

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I think it is a big step that you are willing to acknowledge this, and is something that you are willing to work on. You need humbleness, pray and seek God in this area and you will find it.


Also, do things for others, not just buy something, but spend your time making something. Put your heart and sould into it. Once you realize how much of a sacrifice it is to do things like this for others, then you will appreciate it more when it's done for you again.

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"These Things I Have Spoken Unto You
That In Me Ye Might Have Peace. In the World Ye Shall
Have Tribulation, But Be Of Good Cheer; I Have Overcome
The World" -- John 16:33

Go spend a month in a third world country. Live as they live. When you come back, you won't have any trouble saying 'I love you' or being appreciative.

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"For attractive lips speak words of kindness, for lovely eyes seek out the good in people, for a slim figure share your food with the hungry. The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes because that is the doorway to her heart the place where love resides."
-Audrey Hepburn

I think you should show your family this thread if you feel you can't aproach them and talk to them face to face about it. We both know you love them and you aprecieate them. If you didn't you wouldn't have posted what you did. When you don't share emotions and feelings they often become corrupt. I would start out by apologising to one person in your family that you really want to let them know how you really feel. This has really touched me too and i feel i need to do some apologising and telling people how much they really mean to me. I'll be praying for you brother. Share your feeling, your love. It's what God commands. Don't hide it because you are afraid. Love casts out all fear! Look to your love and your fear will deminish. Bless you, for you are obviously seeking and trying. I'm just so encouraged by your post. Bless you and good luck!

you honestly want to get rid of the selfish and materialistic ways? sell everything that you have, Jesus said that in order to follow Him youd have to give up everything, theres a story of a man that desperately wanted to follow Jesus and He said to the man to sell all his possessions and give them to the poor, the man walked away brokehearted because he did not want to give them up for Jesus, so in my opinion i dont think selfishness and materialism will go away unless you get rid of it for good, as long as we Christians hold to our worldly possessions we will keep that state of mind

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You hate us 'cause we'll never go away,
We're like some sort of fungus, We're growing every day.
Our knuckles aren't bleeding so i guess that leaves to say,
Our message isn't stopping, 'til you pull us all away!
~Project86~

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