Approaching
our lives with humility can bring great rewards and happiness. Too
many times in the world today the focus is on status and impression.
People dress and act a particular way to project a certain image. So
much time and effort is spent to construct a persona either for
personal gain or stature. It is natural to be liked and it is
intoxicating to be revered by other people. Over time this can become
an obsession. We become afraid to let others know who we truly are
and are even more afraid to ask for help when we need it; fearing
judgment and embarrassment. Because of this, materialism takes over
as we struggle to better ourselves through the improvement of our
image instead of following the teachings of Christ. We are constantly
in danger of spending all of our time and effort on what we perceive
are the expectations of society and what society entices us to be.
The human person and his or her dignity are lost in a muddle of the
desires of the flesh.
To overcome
this we must understand that there is something better than the
accolades of society and human stature. We have an opportunity to be
truly happy if we only ignore the seduction of a world that focuses
on pleasing materialistic desires and prideful wants. There is a
reason why PRIDE is one of the Seven Deadly Sins. It is intoxicating
and can easily become an obsession. Each of the deadly sins are
linked. They provide a gateway for the other to enter our lives and
corrupt us. Pride will lead to Vanity, Greed, Envy, Lust, Sloth, and
Wraith. Start with any of these and then we will work through them
all to our utter destruction. If we humble ourselves like slaves we
will be able to resist all of these and the temptations of the world.
Think of all the possible sins. Why do we sin? There is an arrogance
at the root of all of them where our desires take command of our
actions and we truly are no longer in control of ourselves. Swept up
in the moment we can find ourselves.
The world does
not promote humility. In fact, humility is seen as a weakness. Power
is admired, money is practically worshiped. Those who do not have one
or the other are viewed with contempt. That is why to be Christians
we cannot be a part of the world in the way that is expected. When we
humble ourselves and become like slaves we already have broken with
the physical world and have united ourselves with Christ. As slaves
we have nothing to prove and become servants to everyone. We cater to
the needs of others and try to raise them up; devoting our lives to
helping those who need to be helped. As slaves we should be unable to
judge anyone but accept them as they are for we shouldn't be
struggling to make ourselves better than them. We have no need too,
for we truly are Children of God and know where our future lays: with
our Creator. Knowing this, we can be comforted with the fact that no
obstacle or ordeal is permanent. God will guide us through every
issue and problem with love and care. We serve with love knowing that
we are loved. Knowing that we are loved should be knowledge enough to
be happy.
When we are
humble, we are naturally simplified. We are encouraged to do this in
a physical sense as well as spiritual. Simply by living the way that
Jesus taught us while not focusing on the grandiose can bring about
an understanding of our faith and the pathway to salvation. We do not
need accolades or wealth to be happy. It is all about Christ and the
pathway to God. Being simplified leads to a type of silence in our
lives where we can then listen for God and understand what he wants
us to do.
If we put
ourselves below everyone else then what is said of us should have no
consequence. We should never worry about the judgments of other
people since those who do so are sinning by putting themselves in the
position of God. The one whose opinion we should worry about is that
of our Father whom we should always want to please. Christ told us
not to worry about tomorrow or the past. It is our present state with
him that should really matter. The past cannot be changed and the
future will always be the future. If God is walking with us now then
we must realize this as the single most greatest thing in our lives.
Our God is walking with us! He loves us so much that he wants to be
with us all the time. How truly glorious that is, Yet, God humbles
himself to a quiet presence. So humble is God that he waits patiently
for us to recognize him and his greatness.
We need to take
this lesson of humility from God and become Christlike in our
demeanor and actions. Then we can celebrate being a slave.
Deacon Tom
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