Humble not Humiliated
Obsession. There is nothing else that can describe our way of viewing the world today. We are obsessed with how people will look at us. We are consumed by the need to be the person at the center of the action and attention – in short to be the person with a place of honor. We are obsessed with the desire to be in places of honor.
Gaining honor for something is not bad – it is the inordinate amount of value we place on that portion of our lives. If we only do things for the honor we will get or do not do something because we do not think there will not be a honor there we have determined that our lives will be focused only on the veneer of what life is and can be.
So what is the answer to the dilemma and obsession which consumes us? How can we move beyond the need to be honored to where we need to be? It starts with being humble. Jesus shares a story about seeking honor and how it can actually lead to being humiliated and embarrassed because we jockey for the place of honor instead of letting ourselves be lifted there by how others view us. So real honor comes via being humble and building a life that serves and honors others via that service.
This week I went to view the build out of Covenant of the Cross’ new facilities and it was a reminder of how we look at things on the surface. We look at the color of the walls, the fabrics used, the art on the walls, but do not think about the structure that underlies all of that. Please understand that the colors, fabric and art do matter, but so do the things that underlie them. In the end if the structure is not sufficient the colors, fabrics and art will not keep the building standing.
The same is true of honor that is real. It is not something that is just color, fabric and art. It is the wiring, HVAC and other things that make up the “bones” of a building – just as character, service and other things that no one will see as pretty – but ensure that the color, fabric and art have context and thus meaning.
Honor is something that should come from others looking into our lives and service to see that our concerns are not for getting honors, but rather for being people that serve in such a way that honor is a result of a humble and open life. We are almost guaranteed embarrassment if we focus on the honor rather than the substance of a life of service.
This week I invite you to join in the honorable life of service that will give you more honor as you let the build out of your life design a context for the way people view you.
Blessings,
Pastor Greg
Gaining honor for something is not bad – it is the inordinate amount of value we place on that portion of our lives. If we only do things for the honor we will get or do not do something because we do not think there will not be a honor there we have determined that our lives will be focused only on the veneer of what life is and can be.
So what is the answer to the dilemma and obsession which consumes us? How can we move beyond the need to be honored to where we need to be? It starts with being humble. Jesus shares a story about seeking honor and how it can actually lead to being humiliated and embarrassed because we jockey for the place of honor instead of letting ourselves be lifted there by how others view us. So real honor comes via being humble and building a life that serves and honors others via that service.
This week I went to view the build out of Covenant of the Cross’ new facilities and it was a reminder of how we look at things on the surface. We look at the color of the walls, the fabrics used, the art on the walls, but do not think about the structure that underlies all of that. Please understand that the colors, fabric and art do matter, but so do the things that underlie them. In the end if the structure is not sufficient the colors, fabrics and art will not keep the building standing.
The same is true of honor that is real. It is not something that is just color, fabric and art. It is the wiring, HVAC and other things that make up the “bones” of a building – just as character, service and other things that no one will see as pretty – but ensure that the color, fabric and art have context and thus meaning.
Honor is something that should come from others looking into our lives and service to see that our concerns are not for getting honors, but rather for being people that serve in such a way that honor is a result of a humble and open life. We are almost guaranteed embarrassment if we focus on the honor rather than the substance of a life of service.
This week I invite you to join in the honorable life of service that will give you more honor as you let the build out of your life design a context for the way people view you.
Blessings,
Pastor Greg
posted by Covenant of the Cross at
7:29 PM
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