We have finally come to the last principle of 40 days of love. Frankly speaking, there's way too much for my brain to absorb and I can almost feel my brain cells dying up there. Like Rachel said in Day 34, loving like Jesus is hard! No, I think it's impossible. But there you have it, that only proves that God was, and is always right. John 15:5 says: "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." But it also points to Matthew 19:26, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." and Philippians 4:13 "I can do everything through him who gives me strength."

Now down to my main point! I remembered an incident not too long ago that happened to (some of us) at Fast Ed's in the city. We were eating peacefully and was suddenly interrupted by a drunk lady that started taking food from our table! As we were leaving the premises after paying, the cashier said something that went like this: "You should have stood up and told her to leave! You know... do unto others what they do unto you." Well I thought about it, and obviously that statement was politically (or biblically) wrong! And I think to myself, how much society has distorted the truth, and some of us were just discussing the topic of perception during saturday morning meetings! The world tells me that's just how it is, and so I just accept it, and go with the flow. The truth is, there are a great many bad people out there, and if you're not offending them, you must be bad yourself. Which side of the fence do you stand?

Are we all inherently selfish then? But let's look at the Big Question for us in this chapter: "How do I get my needs met in this relationship?" And it's true, as unselfish as we may become, we still have needs. And right after that we have the answer: I must give myself to meeting others' needs if I'm to get my needs met!" I know what you're thinking right now. "If I keep giving but no one reciprocates, won't I be losing out?" That is a selfish question my friend!

I just watched Batman - Dark Knight, and man was it a good show! One scene in the movie that really made an impact was the part on the 2 ferries. One ferry was full of convicts, and the other, full of civillians. Both were rigged with explosives, and each ferry was given a detonator for the opposite ferry. Instructions were to blow each other up before midnight, or both blow up! Being human, and selfish, both sides were in an uproar over their survival. It came down to the decision to be made, and the captain of one ferry says: "We're still here. It means they have not pulled the trigger." All it takes is just ONE act of selfishness, just ONE, and there would have been an insurmountable number of casualties. The little selfish actions we execute, have consequences none of us would like to know.

Matthew 7:12 "Do for others what you would like them to do for you." Some of us have heard that rules are made to be broken. But we are too smart to break them. We bend them. Just like law, or claiming your tax returns; there's always some way to squeeze or wiggle our way through. Thank God the bible isn't full of loopholes!

The Reciprocal Rule: "Whatever you do for me, that's what I'll do for you; you scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours." We do something for someone because we expect something to be done in return. And more often then not, we end up waiting for one another to make the first move. Even when the favour is returned, we get disappointed because it's not we perceived our expectations to be.

Then there is the comparison part. The Ricochet Rule: "Do to someone based on what some other person has done to you." We treat one another based on how we see others treat each other. We give each other "standards" God never intended for us.

Then there is the fine print. The Hidden Motive Rule: "I act like I'm doing it for you, but it's really to get what I want." The ultimate seed of selfishness in the heart!

Let us remember that Love is not selfish. That's it. Let us not wait for one another to act, or compare what we do for each other, or manipulate each other to get what we want. As selfish as we may be, God still believes in us to make the right choices. It's the only reason why we're still here.

Lauzy