“Only to do the right and to love goodness, and to walk
humbly with your God.” Mi 6:8
It can seem overwhelmingly impossible at times to live
simply for God and not worry about personal goals, wealth, property and even
our health. God does not ask us to be successful, and the prophet Micah is at
his wit’s end trying to convince the people to whom he was sent that God does not want thousands of rams or
burnt offerings from his chosen people, but only their fidelity to a life of
gratitude before God for all God does.
Why won’t we believe this? What can’t we believe it? In the
West, at least, competition between and among people, especially men, is still
a driving force that often artificially props up our self image even if it does
nothing for the life of the community, and we convince ourselves, sometimes
with the help of televangelists, that God wants us to succeed. When we are
really crazy with these ideas we convince ourselves that it is our success that
pleases God, and unfortunately our success sometimes attracts clergy who see our
wealth as a ticket to their own success as pastors.
Today, walk humbly and see how it feels.
What are your most
difficult obstacles in living a life of faith in a culture of success?
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