"Hogzilla"

Hogzilla was the name given to a wild hog caught and killed in Alapaha, Georgia a few years ago. This hog was about 8 feet long and weighed nearly 800 pounds. Hogzilla was the hog of all hogs so to speak. I cannot imagine how much food it took to get old Hogzilla that size. Fortunately the animal was wild as it might have bankrupted a farmer trying to maintain the life of that thing! "Hogging" is a term we often use when we think someone is taking more than their share of something. I was raised in a home with six siblings and I remember fussing with my sisters about hogging the bathroom when we were trying to get ready to go somewhere. My father was often the referee as we tried to pull each other away from the mirror with screams and tears. Each of us considered our time to get ready as the most valuable. I wonder if things ever really change.
In the second chapter of Philippians, verse 3, Paul exhorts the believers:"Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit..." The actual Greek meaning of these words is to jockey for position with hollow boasting or with prideful ways. I think as children we coined the phrase perfectly when we said to quit hogging the bathroom, or the food, or even simple conversations. Even as adults we still are guilty of "hogging". We get into discussions with other people and think what we have to say is of utmost importance and leave little room for anyone else's opinion. We call people up with our latest news and forget to ask them if anything interesting has come their way. In arguments we pull out the trump card and then walk away feeling quite proud of ourselves.
Paul gives further instructions by saying that the best way to live is to esteem others better than yourself. That would mean thinking that someone actually knows more than you, or has something to say that is brighter, or wittier or more engaging than you. "Moi?" as Miss Piggy would say. The answer would be yes. Would you ever want to be coined as the "Hogzilla" of your group, family or friends? Hopefully your answer is no. Quit jockeying for position, drop the pride and let others have the limelight. In God's economy there is room enough for all of us.