Living beyond yourself

Sometimes it's easier said than done. What does living beyond yourself really mean? Well, to me it means putting aside your own agenda, your own feelings and your own desires for someone else's good. Not always an easy task. Face it, we're all selfish creatures...it's human nature to be that way. But in order for us to show others how much we care, we are required to go out of our way to be the help, the ear, the shoulder or the servant that they need at that moment. Let's look at it in the practical sense. Living beyond yourself can be something as simple as my hubby going outside in the bitter cold to get something for me that I left in the car. It could be something as simple as spending the day with a friend who needs some company, even though you have many things that need to be done at your own home. It means making some cookies and taking them to a local assisted care center so some lonely elderly people can have some homemade treats and enjoy some company for a while. All of these things are examples of living beyond yourself. I wonder what this world would be like if we all lived beyond ourselves for just one day. One day given up for someone else's benefit, not because we want something in return or as a "pay it forward" because someone else did something nice for us. Just a day filled with service to another person, done out of the love in our own heart and for no other reason than that love for each other.