All in Humility
Think of your favorite scene that brings you contentment. It brings peace, no more want. It is the thought that if I could just live here… life would be good! Is it a home with a beautiful view of a landscape of lush rolling green fields? Or a beachside view? Or maybe a home with a view of a mountain range?
The night of Jesus’ betrayal had arrived. The moments with His disciples before His crucifixion were limited. Therefore, Jesus was purposeful in His actions.
Consider a string of yarn. It may be a pretty color and seem strong. Yet, one strand by itself does not serve much purpose.
I struggle with needing to feel… needed.
But sometimes this is a way that I make myself feel important.
It is a way of showing what I can do in my own strength… making it about me.
My heart soars when I watch a certain young man joyfully assist the worship minister rehearse with the choir before entering the sanctuary. His body bends over his crutches, yet he stands as if his posture was perfectly straight. His face reflects the joy and love of Christ with an unguarded smile. His eyes look to Heaven as he sings. Christ’s radiance on his face inspires me every time I see him. This man is famous to Jesus. Jesus is famous to this man.
Gratitude saved me—from hopelessness, self-pity, and victimization.
Some of my grandchildren enjoy creating objects with soft, moldable clay that doesn’t harden—pliable enough to reshape but hard enough to hold its form. Our brains are like clay, which can affect our hearts—the core of our being, where Jesus Christ lives.
In August 2015, a joyful anticipation of what I thought my college years would look like was shattered into a disheartening reality when the words You’ve been cut from the process pierced my heart through a phone call during the sorority recruitment process.
In discipling a young believer from Central Asian, I often heard tales of the immense patience she has received from the Lord.
I love broken people. Do you know who I’m talking about? The folks you meet and instantly click with? There are no walls of pretense you have to climb over, no barriers to keep you away. All you see is pure, humble transparency. Every time I meet someone like this it's refreshing... and convicting.
It was late at night when I received one of those dreaded phone calls. My son told me that his three-week old daughter was lethargic and in respiratory distress. They were at a hospital emergency room in the Dallas, Texas area.
How many times have I anguished over my “self-image”? I can be my own worst critic. I am not pretty enough, ambitious enough, good enough, smart enough. What must God think? Where did it all begin?
The Lord’s case against His people comes to a head in Micah 6. In His own words, He has not “burdened” them (6:3). Rather He has “redeemed” them from slavery and sent able leaders in Moses, Aaron, and Miriam (6:4). And so Micah proceeds to clarify that worship of the exalted God is really not a matter of burnt offerings or sacrifice of a firstborn (6:6-7) as was the pagan custom.
My heart soars when I watch a certain young man joyfully assist the worship minister rehearse with the choir before entering the sanctuary. His body bends over his crutches, yet he stands as if his posture was perfectly straight. His face reflects the joy and love of Christ with an unguarded smile. His eyes look to Heaven as he sings. Christ’s radiance on his face inspires me every time I see him. This man is famous to Jesus. Jesus is famous to this man.
