Kids Go Last
Growing up in the 80's, life was a bit different. We played cops and robbers, rode our bikes without helmets until the street lights came on, and drank from the hose when we got thirsty. The relationship between adults and children was also a bit more delineated than it is now. If an adult told you to do something, you generally obeyed. Adults had authority. Children did not.
But there has been a shift in our society. In a way it is for the better, but in another way it is for the worse. One particular rule we had growing up was 'kids go last.' This may have been my mom's rule, or it may have been a family rule. I don't entirely remember, but I know I was told the adults go first. In fact, my mom always made us go last. We would let people cut in front of us at the grocery line, the rides at the fair, and we were always the last to eat at family get-togethers. In fact, it didn't matter what line we were in, my mom made us go last. So, I grew up thinking I should go last in just about everything, even though I was exceedingly competitive. Maybe this idea was cultural, or familial, or just from my mom, but wherever it came from it isn't normal anymore.
Now, I hear parents proclaim that their kids should go first. First to eat. First in line. First with their desires and opinions. This 'kids go first' idea concerns me. I'm afraid it not only breeds selfishness, but a sense of entitlement. And when a whole generation is trained to only be concerned about themselves and their desires, we end up with a pretty broken and evil society.
Why is going last so important? It isn't because my mom said so, it is because the Bible teaches us to put ourselves last. Philippians 2:3 reads, "Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves." Some people claim they are humble or that they value others more than themselves, but they don't live it. True humility is born out of selflessness, and no one expressed this better than Jesus. If we read on a bit further in the chapter, we see exactly where Paul was going with this thought. Philippians 2:5-8 reads, "Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."
Going last is hard. As an adult, I'm afraid I've gotten used to going first. I like to be first. I want to be first in my class, first in line, first in everything. I want to win. I want to succeed. I want to meet my goals. I don't like to wait. And while being ambitious is a good thing, I have to be careful about what I'm running after and who I'm running over. My mom taught me when I was really little to not only go last, but to practice humility. As a kid I believed that I always had to be the last in line, but the truth is, I was never last, because my mom was always behind me.
Now, I hear parents proclaim that their kids should go first. First to eat. First in line. First with their desires and opinions. This 'kids go first' idea concerns me. I'm afraid it not only breeds selfishness, but a sense of entitlement. And when a whole generation is trained to only be concerned about themselves and their desires, we end up with a pretty broken and evil society.
Why is going last so important? It isn't because my mom said so, it is because the Bible teaches us to put ourselves last. Philippians 2:3 reads, "Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves." Some people claim they are humble or that they value others more than themselves, but they don't live it. True humility is born out of selflessness, and no one expressed this better than Jesus. If we read on a bit further in the chapter, we see exactly where Paul was going with this thought. Philippians 2:5-8 reads, "Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."
Going last is hard. As an adult, I'm afraid I've gotten used to going first. I like to be first. I want to be first in my class, first in line, first in everything. I want to win. I want to succeed. I want to meet my goals. I don't like to wait. And while being ambitious is a good thing, I have to be careful about what I'm running after and who I'm running over. My mom taught me when I was really little to not only go last, but to practice humility. As a kid I believed that I always had to be the last in line, but the truth is, I was never last, because my mom was always behind me.
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