Humble Pie

Good morning everyone!

Have you ever had one of those weeks where every day seemed like a Monday? Not that Mondays are bad, just hectic. Or, in the words of Cyndi Lauper, "it's just another manic Monday". There are a lot of exciting things going on and in the midst of the busyness it has become easy to lose my Lenten focus. It is important to our spiritual growth and health to intentionally take the necessary time to focus on my relationship with Christ and to listen for His direction in my life. Oh how I need that direction when my life is manic and hectic from time to time!

After having some time to settle down, I was reading a Lenten devotional that talked about humility. From the article Proud to Be Humble, it mentioned, "the call for humility is a call for simple realism...Humility is an honest and objective relfection of our real relationship to God. The fact is that we are all dependent. All that we have comes from God - our lives, our salvation, our hope, our Christ. God has given all; nothing is our own...Humility is a simple, objective recognition of the reality of God."

It is hard to be humble when we think and believe that everything revolves around us. When we believe that our opinion is more valid than another's. When we strive for our own recognition at work, at home, or at school. When our beliefs alienate those around us. When we think we have the right to sneak into the express checkout lane in a crowded grocery store with more than ten items...because our time is more precious than someone else's. When we get involved in the rumor-mill because it somehow makes us feel more important (we want them to know how much we know or we feel we deserve to know everyone else's business).

We all struggle with humility and we are all challenged with moving away from the me-centered life to the God-centered life. But, that is what Lent is all about. It is about righting the ship. Getting ourselves balanced again. Centering our lives back on God. God calls us to live humble lives that recognize our real dependence upon Him for everything. If we can gain that perspective, we begin to see others, the world, the church, and our lives as God sees it. Just seeing those things in that perspective will keep us humble for sure!

Take a moment to check out Luke 14:7-24. On the surface it may not seem like a parable about humility, but look deeper. If God is the host at the banquet of our lives then we have two options. We are either the snotty-nosed guests who turn down the invitation, or we are the motley crew that the servants dragged in from the streets. We are either like the self-righteous Pharisee who patted himself on the back, or we are like the humble tax collector who knew he needed mercy. The point is that nobody swaggers into the kingdom of God. The only ones who show up around the banquet table are those who know they have no business being there.

We are invited and welcomed to this banquet of life by an extraordinarily extravagant God who brings us in, not because we are all that good, but because God is. (Living With the Mind of Christ)

I have found that the deeper I go with Christ the more humble pie I eat. I am reminded time and time again that it is not about me. It is not about my opinions (don't say that!), my preferences, my position in life...it is about God's position in my life. Is He before me or is it the other way around?

What changes need to be made in your life in order for you to live with mindset of humility? In this season of Lent (and beyond), what steps will you take to make these changes? What about the church? How can our lack of humility be a barrier to growing relationships with each other and sharing the Good News?

Jesus is sharing with us a piece of humble pie at the banquet table of life. Let's eat it and fill up on it, so that our lives reflect the true, humble nature of our Lord!

Jesus, You have led the way for me and modeled for me true humility. Grant me Your mercy that I may be able to humbly walk with You as You go before me as my guide and my friend. Amen.

Take Care & God Bless,

Pastor Don