"From" to "For"

In a culture focused on pronouns, what if we focus instead on prepositions? I think as a follower of Jesus, I need to shift my prepositions; maybe you will feel the same way. If you are like me, then without realizing it, there are a lot of things that you want from other people. In fact, many of us build our identities and self-worth on what we can get from others. We often want others to make us feel good. This could be through praising us, being nice to us, doing what we want them to do. Often, what we want from others has something to do with satisfying our sinful passions. We want from them satisfaction of our pride, anger, or lust.

Let's consider any old day. We enter a coffee shop. What do we want from the barista? Coffee of course, but we also want courtesy, cleanliness, and good service. These are all good things, but have you ever thought about what you want for that barista? We walk down the aisles of a store. Strangers pass us by. What do we want from them? We want manners, personal space and to be left alone, but what do we want for these strangers?

We are stuck in a traffic jam. People in cars surround us. What do we want from them? We mostly wish they would get out of our way! But what do we want for these people?

What I am suggesting is that part of growing to be more like Jesus is thinking less about what we want from others and more about what we want for others. Consider this blessing offered by St. Paul in Romans 15:13: "Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

Have you ever thought about what you want for the people around you every day? When you see the barista, do you wish them hope? To the strangers in the store, do you wish them joy? For the other drivers on the road, do you wish them peace? For St. Paul, hope, peace, and joy come from believing in Jesus and through the power of the Holy Spirit. When you meet someone, do you hope for them that they know Jesus?

I think this is a transfiguring way to live. With every person you encounter today, perhaps you could pray: "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on them. Help me to see them and love them as you do."

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 Originally published in the Holy Apostles E-bulletin. Subscribe here.