Humility is a constant in the Bible, but it is an illusive concept and practice. Not an attempt to diminish ourselves or consider ourselves only from the perspective of our failures, humility is the willingness to recognize and be attentive to God as the center of all that is. More, humility demands we allow ourselves to be consumed with and in God, and this humility frees us from the fear of death. Knowing that God wants to be with us forever, not because of our accomplishments, but because God created us, we celebrate being chosen, not with pride, but with a radical gratitude about being made in the image and likeness of God.
The the 19th century art critic, John Ruskin, insists that we can recognize authentically humble people by their fascination, not with themselves, but with the God who acts through them. "Really great men have a curious feeling that the greatness is not of them, but through them. And they see something divine in every other man and are endlessly, foolishly, incredibly merciful.” And again, "The first test of a truly great man is his humility. By humility I don't mean doubt of his powers or hesitation in speaking his opinion, but merely an understanding of the relationship of what he can say and what he can do." (Ruskin)
Today, be honest and honor God for all that God is: Creator, Savior, Friend.
What most frightens you about being taking up your cross?
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please be discreet in your comments. I will monitor the comments, and only exclude those that are patently offensive.