The humble gift
And because of God's gracious gift to me I say to every one of you: do not think of yourself more highly than you should. Instead, be modest in your thinking, and judge yourself according to the amount of faith that God has given you. Romans 12 : 3 (GNB) |
Humbleness or modesty are rarely seen as positive traits in our society. Take a job interview or appraisal as an example. In these situations modesty can seem to count against you and viewed as weakness.
This is because we live in a "me-centred" world. Our society judges us on how much better we are than our peers. Employers may look to see what you alone can bring to the role, or know your "unique selling point". Because of this we are taught to put value on our abilities, achievements and status to give our lives value and judge other people in the same way.
This however is not God's way, it is not the way in which he intends for us to thrive. The reason why we are told to be modest isn't because being proud is bad. Or because those who are smug or gloat are annoying, there is much more to it than that.
Modesty is a reflection of the fact that life isn't all about ourselves. It is about remembering that God is at the centre of everything we do. Our achievements were made possible because of him. We dont need to find value in our lives through making a list of things that you can do better than everyone else. Our value comes from the God that made us and has a plan for us.
Shifting our thinking from ourselves to God will naturally make us become more modest. We will see that it is all about what God is good at and what God can do. Instead of what I am good at or what I can do. We will also find that our weaknesses also become less of a problem the more we shift our focus towards God. Although it may be tough for us alone, with God there will be a way. Have a great week and stay humble.
This week's song is Only King Forever by Elevation Worship. |
Header image by: torbakhopper via Flickr