Wisdom: Not "Me" but in the "You"

When we pray do we ask God how He can help us or do we ask God how we can help Him? In today’s 1^st reading from the 1^st book of Kings, King Solomon does not ask God for more land, more gold, more soldiers, or anything of that type. Rather, King Solomon asks God, “Give your servant, therefore, an understanding heart to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong. For who is able to govern this vast people of yours?” In return King Solomon is blessed a hundred fold,

“Because you have asked for this—not for a long life for yourself,
nor for riches, nor for the life of your enemies, but for understanding so that you may know what is right—I do as you requested. I give you a heart so wise and understanding that there has never been anyone like you up to now, and after you there will come no one to equal you.”

We are well aware of the saying, “As wise as Solomon,” or “With the wisdom of Solomon.” A saying handed down for generations over spans of millennia. There is a great lesson here for us. Blessings only come when we are more concerned with others than ourselves.

There is much that concerns us in life and preoccupies us with the proverbial “me.” One such question which is at the root of all questions is, “Will I be successful?” Much of our efforts in life are centered on that question. We prepare ourselves through education and practice in finding a career and then succeeding in that career. We put ourselves through school, college, all sorts of training to obtain our goals and desires. We will work, work, work, until we reach our goal, both in financial security and prestige in the work place.

Another concern or preoccupation is to find a vocation and be successful at that as well, be it married life, the single life, or a call to ministry. Many moments are given to. “What will I be in life,” “What road will I take,” or the more practical, “How will I get there?” People will beat themselves up over life questions such as these, always falling back to the, me, me, me. And that is where the danger lies, in the “me.”

Goals in life are not necessarily bad, they are actually something good. The Lord wants us asking questions, he wants us to be organized, to have direction, to be efficient, and most of all to be virtuous. However, God does not want us to get lost in there and only have our world revolve around “me.”

King Solomon had a tough job, a thankless one at that. Being a king, president, prime minister, is indeed sometimes thankless, if not downright awful. The scrutiny one undergoes is horrific and the reward does not fit the sacrifice. And yet, King Solomon is concerned more about right judgment so that his people will be treated fairly, well, and compassionately. His main concern is for his neighbor and not so much for himself.

When we seek accomplishments in life, whatever they may be, for whose benefit do we seek such things, for our own or for others?

Scripture tells us, “With the measure you have measured, it will be measured out to you . . . and the least you have done to your brothers or sisters you have done unto me.” God hates sin; He hates pride obviously, but also greed. When I look only to “me” I am greedy, when I look to others, then I am selfless.

If you look at what got us into the economic mess that we are in today, it’s because of greed. It wasn’t only the politicians and bankers, but it was me and you as well. We all wanted to know, “What can I get for me?” It seemed like the more I can get the better. You see, I have to have that dream house with the white picket fence, 2.1 children and a family dog. I also have to have three televisions, a cell phone for my 2.1 children – even for the dog. When that’s not enough, I also need to rebuild the home, take out a 2^nd mortgage, and with the left over cash from the 2^nd mortgage buy a boat. All of it for, “me.” And then when it goes bad, I ask God for help. Greed only compiles sin upon sin until everything comes crashing down, and why, because the house was built on sand and when a good strong wind came, that house of greed came tumbling down. King Solomon was like you and I, a faithful man, started off on the right foot, with a great blessing, but one palace was not enough, nor was one wife enough. Eventually there were multiple palaces; hundreds of wives and concubines, until it all came crashing down. And before the end Solomon remembered, it was never supposed to be just for “me.” Blessings are granted a hundred fold when I turn to God and ask Him, “What can I do for you?”

The house that stands on a firm foundation or on a loose one is you and I. How and where will we build our house? Will we build it with the proverbial “me” or will we build it for others, especially for God?

Happiness, it’s what we all want and strive for. That is what is really at the root of all of this conversation. The answer is simple; it comes from God and service to Him and neighbor. It occurs when we move from “me” to “you.” It will never rest in material things, but always in service. That is the heart of Christianity, service. Pray then with me that we will all respond to the call for others and sacrifice our own benefits. If we do then we will be in good company with King Solomon, and in God’s heart we will always stay, and our blessings will be a hundred fold.

Fr. John

Image from http://amalku.blogspot.com/2011/05/king-solomon-and-baby.html