I think this one may be a bit more obvious than the others.
Self-seeking according to Merriam-Webster online dictionary means:
- the act or practice of selfishly advancing one’s own ends
- seeking only to further one’s own interests
In other words, love is not about me or my needs or my desires or my own interests. Rather it is about others.
The problem is that all of us have been taught this one phrase “What about me?”. The world wants us to be selfish, but give this false image of being unselfish. Some deal with this better than others.
How often do people want something in return for what you either gave or did for them? I would venture to say most of the time. We want to be appreciated when ever we give or do or something for others which is expecting something in return. We should just do what it is we are going to do or give whatever it is we are going to give and if they are appreciative, then great, but if not, that is great too because you are doing this because it it what God wants you to do.
I am selfish and so is my wife, but she is far less than I on most things. I was raised with the attitude of I need to think of myself first in most situations, then think of others where as I think she was raised to think of others first.
It can be a challenge to change how someone was raised to put others before themselves. Thankfully, God is much bigger than any of us and can easily help each us change if that is what we want.
Do you struggle in this area? I know I have and I’ve prayed to God to help me and He has. It does not mean that it has always been easy and usually I need to take one or two steps back to make any progress. However, just because I had setbacks does not mean I should give up like a lot of people do when they initially fail. Be diligent and keep praying and God will help you.