It's not all about me!

Did you ever think you would hear that come from my mouth?!? This seems to be something that the Lord and others are trying to teach me...Which I am quite glad about but at the same time it is not the easiest thing to learn especially for someone that chokes on their pride. Here's bits and pieces of how I am learning to realize that, "It's not all about me!"

1. Just being in another country period. America is not the best place in the world and we don't know it all. Not mentioning how America does something everytime a Greek person shows or tells me something about their country.
2. Going to the house of a missionary family and seeing how they have to raise money for them and their kids to live on and hearing that the girl has only had hand-me-down clothes.
3. Seeing the old men and young kids walk up to you asking for money as you sit at a nice street corner cafe.
All these things clicked and hit me at one moment on Thursday night when I was out at Omonia Square doing the drug addict minitsry and getting a bit of a bad attitude. I got kind of mad because I was a girl! I know, I am weird! But, some of the guys from the organization made me and another girl stay by the table where the food was being served to be on the safe side but I got really mad because I wanted to go out and talk to people and it wasn't fair in my eyes that because I was a girl, they were making me stay back a bit. Then, I got more frustrated because I felt like I couldn't even speak the language and talk to these refugess out there. I could literally feel myself getting a really bad attitude and upset. They ended up letting me out from behind the table, which was good but by that point I had already let myself get worked up about this whole thing.
Later that night, I realized how selfish I had been and that it's not all about me! I just rambled on in my head and complained while being very blessed and having no reason at all to complain while others around me are sitting here very troubled and lost with no jobs, money, family, etc. Who cares if I am a girl and they don't let me because of safety reasons come out from behind the table of food?!? Who cares if I can't speak the language with only being here for two weeks...at least I am trying! Who cares if I get new clothes?!? Who cares that I come from America?!?

What matters in life is that I have a relationship and that I find my identity with someone that is far greater than anything in this world whether that be material things, other people, or anything else that we cling to and there are people dying in this world that don't know Him. I pray that I can get over myself and my problems and that God would open my eyes to the things that He sees. As the lovely singer Brooke Fraser sings: "Lead me to the cross, where your love poured out/ Bring me to my knees, Lord, I lay me down/ Rid me of myself, I belong to you/ Lead me to the cross."

I am sure this journey of "It's not all about me!" is not over and it probably will be a life-long one but I am ready to take it on! I enjoy being open and honest with people(some people could be turned off by what I wrote..who knows?!?) but I want them to know that no one is perfect including me and that it's ok to share our thoughts, feelings, and struggles with each other because that's what we are here for! Anyways, it's late and I need sleep so until I write again...καληνύχτα (good night)!