Humility
Who are these people? Well, they are two little guys that were made by Tim's group in Vacation Bible School this week. The theme this year is "Maker Fun Factory: Created by God, Built for a Purpose" and each group had 3 minutes to create a person out of random craft supplies. I like them because they are unique (even though all groups had the same supplies) and simple. There is something humble about them and that is a virtue I am purposely trying to seek out right now.
Humility hasn't always been on my radar. As a child I don't think I even knew the definition of the word. Maybe I would have said, "not proud". Once I began to seek God more wholeheartedly as a young adult, I was confronted with these words of Scripture:
"God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." (James 4:6)
Well, I knew where I wanted to be in relation to God - a receiver of grace so I humility became a goal. But I can't say that I was drawn to humility the way I've been drawn to kindness or generosity when I see it. It was more of a necessary path that a Christian must take.
My hope is that this is changing. So when I see these little guys in their simplicity and imperfections not trying to be something else than they are (crafts that were made in 3 minutes!), I delight in the humility of them. They are close to the ground. And that is where I want to be too.
Today I had an interesting experience. I went to the second hand store that the shelter I work at called "Twice Over" to look for clothes. The man who greeted me behind the till is the husband of one of the Nova House staff. As I was shopping, I thought about how strange it is for him to be doing this volunteer job: a former lawyer, judge, and politician, he is now working a cash register at a second-hand clothing store. "How humble!" I thought, "How beautiful!". I turned to him and made a comment about the humility of his current position and he accepted it as a compliment.
For too long in my life, my eyes (my attention) were drawn to the mighty and the proud. I am now asking myself: do I have eyes to see the humble? Can I see that which invites God to be gracious? My hope is that as my desire grows for that which is humble, I too will become more humble. I want to follow in Jesus' example. I want to be a humble servant of God. I suspect you do too.
May God's grace empower us to do so. Amen.
Just to say that I really like the way you phrase this, Tracy: "Can I see that which invites God to be gracious?" It is a great way of thinking about the James 4:6 verse: that humility is a way by which we can invite God's grace to enter into our lives.
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