What Have You Done For Me Lately?

It's a song title. It's a sentiment. As a sentiment, it's very common. It's even biblical. Well, not in a good way.

Remember the story of the Exodus? There is that amazing moment where they're trapped against the Red Sea and God parts the waters so they can cross on dry land. Then He releases the waters and their enemies are wiped out in one fell swoop (Exodus 14). Absolutely remarkable! So it has always amazed me that three days later they're complaining (Exo 15:22-24). Three days. A classic taunt in the face of God. "Sure, You did that really cool thing with the Red Sea and Pharaoh and all that, but what have You done for us lately?" Worse, I suspect that we're all that way. God will do the remarkable one day and we'll complain the next. "What have You done for me lately?"

I think we're asking the wrong question. We all ask it, but I think it belies our underlying problem: "Me." It's all about "me." We ask it of our parents and friends and spouses and family and bosses and ... everyone, including God. Maybe not in words, but the underlying question remains. "Sure, you may have done something for me in the past, but what have you done for me lately?" The wrong question.

If Paul is right and we should "regard one another as more important than yourselves" (Php 2:3), we've got the wrong approach. We are commanded to love God and to love our neighbor. Why is it that we never seem to ask, "What have I done for you lately?" We don't ask our parents and friends and spouses and family and bosses and ... anyone, including God. We're looking out for the wrong #1.

Imagine what that would look like. Instead of brooding about not getting what we each feel we deserve, we'd be competing with each other to give those in our sphere of influence what they need. We'd be loving God and loving our neighbor with no time to complain. You see, we would find far fewer obstacles in trying to do good for others than we do in trying to get good from others. I think it would be wonderful.

We were designed for this purpose. We were built to glorify God and to love our neighbors. By design. Instead we rush about making sure that everyone, God included, keeps up to date on giving us good things. Exactly the opposite of our purpose. No wonder it's hard to be happy in life. We're doing it wrong. Have you ever asked someone you care about "What have I done for you lately?" Maybe we should.