My actions need to reach beyond me

The last week has been a challenge for me. My mom's older brother is staying with us. He rarely says anything kind or thankful for his food, bed, my parents' cars or anything else. It grates on all of us and now mom has a bad cold. These are the times I'm grateful to be an only child... What happened to make this uncle so rude and selfish when mom and her younger brother are not?
Why does the behavior of others often highlight my own struggles so well?

This theme of gratitude and thankfulness (or generosity over selfishness) has come up several times lately. I don't know what to make of it. Today's sermon centered on Isaiah 40, one of my favorite prophecy Scriptures, because Isaiah is reminding Israel who they were, who they are now and who God has always wanted them to be. We, finite and narrow-minded as humans can be, are not capable of seeing the world as fully as our Lord can, but we can and should look beyond ourselves. Praying to see with open eyes takes a wider focus. This world needs width and depth badly! I feel as if my generation is becoming known as selfish, egotistical and shallow. The media highlights this too well. Perhaps its the chair I sit in, but I don't think I've ever been able to entirely escape the reality of my place in a much larger world. In that regard, I'm grateful for one degree of my dependence. Freedom can and does come only when I submit myself to the wheels. I've never liked using any of them, but moving forward is a must! Arguing and refusing only leave me stuck in place.

I know I test God's patience and my family's as well. How do I live a life which expresses gratitude and perseverance when I am simply tired of advocating? Monday's coming quickly. Therefore, I must continue to fight for work and social equality, even though I only feel apathy. How can I be like the woman who touched the hem of Jesus' robe, desperate for His touch to restore her? (Mark 5). That story promises that the woman's faith has healed her. "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace." I'd like to think that her healing also included a bit of divine motivation and initiative for the tasks ahead of her.