If there’s one thing God is
continually reminding me of it’s my pride—the self-serving willingness to pick
fault in my circumstances, other people, and basically anything that can be
observed. Pride is a heinous trick, blinding us to many realities of truth that
are perfectly visible with a pinch of humility’s perspective.
Upon the prideful life we forget
the following truth that will, every single time, liberate us to live at joy
through service:
“The
challenge of our day is not to rise to the top but to live faithfully among the
least, because of who He is.”
~Mark Wilson
What truly qualifies us to serve?
Is it really a theological degree?
Is it skills and competencies? Is it the sponsorship of a referee? Is it a
calling? Perhaps it’s all these, a combination, or maybe even none.
The parental root of service, that
which empowers all our capabilities, is a virtue so often spoken about, yet so
rarely lived. I know this in my own life. Even small inconsequential conflicts
have their way, at times, of swinging my focus off the tremendous good and onto
the fleeting bad. I fixate. From this bad state, I decide a course of action.
Then, suddenly, and it so often happens, God’s Spirit works miraculously within
my heart to make me see the truth of matters—I’m in the wrong!
Again... again, I’m relearning
about these parts of myself. When I think I’m right I’m usually wrong.
When a salient sense of humble
recognition arrives, and I begin seeing the world less threateningly, all is
well again, and then I’m fit to serve once more. How amazing it is that God
allows us to serve, to discharge our special ministries, when we’re in
scattered spiritual states. We may not be effective, but we’re still allowed.
The kingdom that is within the
heart of one believer, one humble enough in his or her moment to recognise
where Jesus would be, compels that one believer to do cheerfully the least of
all. No complaint is thought or heard. They are pleased just to be involved.
There are no bold dreams of leading and having followers. They have no glued
aspirations to be the next Rob Bell or John Piper or Rick Warren.
Yet, there is the humble
recognition, from within myself, as I muse upon the humility of believers who,
every day with barely an exception, do such simple tasks, receive no thanks,
and are pleased to do what they can despite their challenges. These are better
than I; a person so dependent on recognition; a person so sometimes very
critical.
But the facts of my reflections
are not the end; they solemnly reflect the grace in God to allow complaint
before the Holy Spirit’s gentle facilitation of humility through the revelatory
agency of truth.
God is kind in revealing our pride
gently to us.
***
Called to
serve—the feeling of youth,
But
feelings surmount and threaten the truth,
At this
the Spirit takes us aside,
All in order to quash our pride.
Humility
speaks as a primal dirge,
Dealing
with pride’s flesh-felt urge,
Promising
to work gently within,
The Holy Spirit deals with our
sin.
© 2012 S. J. Wickham.
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