End Times: Lovers of Themselves

 Apostle Paul in his second letter to Timothy warned that among many things people during the end times will be lovers of themselves. He called the last days before the return of Jesus the “perilous times.” From what we can judge happening all aound us, we are living in such times. Selfishness is inherent quality of human nature, something we don’t have to strive for. It is perfectly natural to look after our own interests, however, when we start to seek our own benefits only, then it becomes a devastating force in our lives.

Everyone is quite familiar with destructiveness of hatred, it is red hot, nasty feeling easily detected. Selfcenterdness, on the other hand, creeps in unnoticed. It lurks into our most cherished relationships and eats them up like a cancer.

We demand that others make us happy and fulfill our needs as well as wants, taking very little taught to the needs of others. People around us start to feel used, unloved and unappreciated. This in turn creates tensions, arguments and entire host of unpleasant situations, causing marriages to end up in bitter divorce, and lifelong friends to go their own separate ways.

Yet, even then, we refuse to acknowledge our wrong. Instead, we blame those whom we once loved and replace them with new people who “will not do this to me”. We hope that they will make us happy only to be disappointed repeatedly because selfish life is a lonely life.

There is untold joy in making others happy, in fulfilling their deepest dreams through seemingly little acts of selfless love; such as doing dishes for your tired wife even if she didn’t ask for it or preparing favorite meal for you frustrated with daily mundane husband.

Actions speak much louder than words, so take your time and do something special for someone else. It might be that one of your good friends thinks you abandoned them because you didn’t call or visited them for months.

Maybe your child thinks you just don’t care because you were so busy with work that you didn’t spend any quality time with him for a long time.

It might be that it doesn’t describe you at all, and then surely your life is not plagued by broken relationships, depression and loneliness. You are, in that case, a wonderful example of benefits that selfless love bestows upon those who walk in her ways.

For those others who fell victims to this common cancer in these last days, there is only one remedy, to stop being lovers of themselves.