After Jesus Christ was tempted by Satan, the first thing that he did is summon angels to minister to John the Baptist in jail. This is according to Joseph Smith Translation. "And now Jesus knew that John was cast into prison, and he sent angels, and, behold, they came and ministered unto him." (JST Matthew 4:11) In the King James Version of the bible, Matthew 4:11 says “Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.” One may have mixed feelings about Christ resisting Satan’s temptation to “If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone;” then moments later, angels come and ministered unto him. Those mixed feelings are valid, and they can rest assured that angels did not minister to him. Jesus sent angels to minister to John the Baptist instead of our mis-translated verse of Matthew 4:11. This act is a great example of thinking of others before oneself. I have come to a realization when Jessica and I pondered this precept this morning.
Although children & youth need to grow out of ecocentrism, the “everything revolves around an individual” thought patterns, I believe that man is not designed to think of themselves first. When people see an ecocentric person rant, they may find it amusing. My father-in-law always describes comedy as “an ordinary guy or gal struggling against insurmountable odds without many of the required skills and tools with which to win; yet never giving up hope.” An ecocentric person may be amusing to witness because they are illogical. I don’t know whether the quote helps, but this is what I understand about the quote. One may find an ecocentric scene funny because it is not realistic. A mature person does not think that everything revolves around them. People are not designed to think about themselves constantly.
I have observed that people, who think about themselves too much, tend to have anxiety and depression. Thinking that I will step on people’s toes, I don’t know what to say more; however, I will say that man is not designed to be anxious and depressed.
When one thinks about others first, they will be more happy. They will be led more by God to bless others. They are more productive. The conclusion of this post does not seem satisfying. The conclusion that I believe that man is not designed to think of themselves first, but they should put others as their motivation, inspiration, and purpose. Let us live for others as we are designed to.
