Selfishness Vs. Humility

It's eight AM when my phone rings. The moment  I answer it, the caller immediately mistakes the sleep-ridden condition of my voice to be the tone of "I'm currently preoccupied; this isn't a good time". She asks if it is, I say it's not, and she says she'll call back later when I'm not so busy.

Busy... right. I begrudgingly throw all four layers of covers off and drag my not so eager body out of bed.

Later in the evening she calls back and explains that she had needed someone to lean on earlier, someone to talk to and she had thought of me. 

-But I was too busy-

She said that she went the whole day wondering if it was a better time, every hour or so. After telling all that was troubling her, and some advice on my part, some tears on hers, I assured her everything would be alright, and said I'd keep her in my prayers. Then, we said our goodbyes and I sat there staring at the floor with this realization:

 My friend, whom to which I was not a friend, endured the duration of her day with a heavy, hurting heart and I had only made it worse, when all I REALLY had to do was listen.

This question came to mind. Why are humans so naturally selfish? 

Look up human nature in the dictionary, ten bucks says the definition is "selfishness".)

Though I always try to put others first, I didn't the one time someone really needed it. How many other times have I done this, have my friends hurt with no consolation? This struck a chord that clashed ruefully, hurting my ears.

But then, as the hurt moved south to my heart of hearts, I thought about the only human to walk the Earth that would have put  his friends, and my friend the caller, and anyone and everyone first time and time again at 8am, at 6am, at 3am, or any other given time, awake, asleep, eating, bathing, sickly, healthy, NO MATTER His current state, Jesus would have put her first. Besides, He DID put us first. Before His heavenly kingdom...before Satan's tempting...before His heart gave out, He put us first. 

Lesson learned? 

~.Yes. ~

"Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others." -Philippians 2:3-4

This is my prayer for today:

That Jesus would help shape my character to reflect His own, putting others first, regardless of the situation as He did. Through God, I can do all things. So I know that with His help, humility will be easier to come by for He is the source, the Living Water of which forth love, humility, faithfulness, and eternal happiness springs.