Pinnacles of Humility – Testing “the Saint”

I’m learning a lot about life from those who find me (or what I do) offensive, and again equally, from those who do things that I might be tempted to find offensive. In fact, it could be argued—relationally-speaking—that this is the only way we truly learn to conform our characters more into the likeness of a Christ we’ve pledged to follow.

The process of living should ordinarily be humbling—this is the main way we evoke God’s significant blessings. When we consider how we enter the world, and progress through it, in quite awkwardly inept ways at times, we soon see the grace of God in the midst of the created world.

The biblical fool’s presence and activity—or better put, the person who behaves in a foolish way, by and large—is always the supreme test of humility for the would-be saint.

Can the saint be humbled, and in so doing, willingly and even enthusiastically submit for the greater cause i.e. the vision of true interdependence?

In this enterprise of submission for the greater good—a purpose beyond most; one which most can’t ordinarily see—lies the key to relational unity, acceptance and team work.

Some people will not go with us unless we’ve already established a track record of submitting to them; enough at least that we’ve shown that their ideas matter to us.

What we stand to lose if we don’t submit to these is any real chance of developing rapport, a necessary rapport I might add, toward the achievement of common goals and objectives.

Justice proves itself in the long run, and we can always trust that if we act in good faith, even giving more than we think is fair, we might be surprised how often we’ll be vindicated better than we thought. And this, through outcomes that were simply beyond us as individuals i.e. the team created something more magnificent.

© S. J. Wickham, 2009.