Selflessness = Freedom

"Selfless service is a commonly used term to denote a service which is performed without any expectation of result or award for the person performing it."

"Selflessness: acting with less concern for yourself than for the success of the joint activity."

This is something that I have been thinking about a great deal over the past week.  While "selfless service" is a huge part of my faith and the way I try to live, it is also an Army Core Value.  It is an integral part of how the Army defines excellent leadership.  But with the military downsizing, I have heard a lot of leaders talk about staying competitive.  On the one hand, I can understand the message - you want to keep your job right?

But when competition turns selfless service into self-serving individuals, it's a problem.  In the Army, this sometimes comes in the form of an OER or NCOER (which are basically bullet points on a piece of paper).  Sometimes people choose to place their "accomplishments" over the welfare of their subordinates and colleagues.  OERs/NCOERs are a tool that's mean to be used for promoting individuals who can handle more responsibility, but as with any system, the waters get muddied.  As I begin my journey of getting counseled on a regular basis and eventually rated with an OER, I want to keep "selfless service" in my mind and in my heart.  The Army culture pushes very hard for you to "look good," "be competitive," and "advance your career" but nothing in the Army values talks about "looking good" or "being competitive" or "advancing your career."  I use the Army as an example because I am deployed and I live and breath Army life 24/7.  I have to constantly remind myself that I am NOT in this for my career.  But we all have personal goals, dreams, wishes, and needs that are constantly tugging on our heart strings for attention.

The truth is, I have lived much of my life very self-serving.  It's ALWAYS been about me - where I would go to school, what I would accomplish, where I would live, what career I would have.  I may have avoided stepping on someone's toes or making enemies while searching for success, but I think the question is...how many people have I helped along the way?  How much time and effort did I devote to working for someone else's benefit.  Not enough is the answer.

I have goals, dreams, wishes, and needs that constantly beg me to fulfill them.   But I can never fulfill all those things, I will simply exhaust myself trying.  God calls us to serve and love others (friend or enemy), not just when we feel like it (or when it serves us too), but all the time.  God says nothing positive about serving ourselves.  I am reminded that we each make up part of the body of Christ and we have the Holy Spirit that lives within us.  That MEANS something and it should radically change the way we ACT each and every day.  We can do nothing pleasing to God if it is not done with love or if is simply done for our own benefit.  When we serve others out of love, God will give us the gift of peace and joy - if we seek it for ourselves, we will never find it.  Essentially, loving and focusing on God and His will gives us the greatest freedom we can ever know.

Thank you to everyone still reading and keeping up with me.  I'd love to hear your thoughts on selfless service and how you've overcome challenges to continue helping others over yourself.  I hope you all have a great Sunday - God bless.