15-5

Embracing Smallness

Sometimes in life we like to embrace smallness. I remember when I used to work at Boston Market, there were things I purposefully would not learn just so I wouldn't have to do them! Why? I didn't want that much responsibility! It's funny how things are so much different when it comes to our lives though. We are control freaks! We don't want to embrace smallness, we want to be in charge! In order to really live a life where we understand that i am not but i know I AM, we have to die to ourselves. But "If there's one thing we can all be sure of in our quest to live for His glory and His fame, it's that the flesh will not die quietly. No, our mortal selves will scrap and claw for every once of self-promotion they can get their hands on." We have to have humility. Humility can be defined as 'seeing God for who He is.' Pride, on the other hand, is 'an admission that I haven't seen God at all.' When you see God and His glory, you are instantly resized, and that is humility. "Once we see how glorious His glory really is, we realize that all other glory is futile and fading, and totally inconsequential in the grand scheme of things."

What is it that makes you feel small? What is it that helps to 'resize' you when you see it? For me it is space, or really old things like the pyramids, anything in Egypt really. Or the Coliseum, or St. Paul's Cathedral. "Or when I consider that hundreds of generations have passed before me and not a single person among them ever knew my name."

"When you get right down to it, trading in the little story of me is not really all that big of a sacrifice after all. Who wouldn't want to abandon a script you could fit on the pointed end of a pin for a chance to get in on the glorious epic that is so enduring that its screening will require all of eternity? Glimpsing His glory makes me want to say, 'Your name and renown are the desire of my soul.' Seeing His true fame makes me want to live for a bigger purpose, doing everything I do in such a way as to shine the spotlight on Him." That sounds great right? But how do we do that on a day in and day out basis? You do everything you do to glorify God. You don't have to be a preacher, worship leader, missionary, or work in a church. The truth is, you probably have a better chance of amplifying Christ to the world if you don't do any of those things! You see everyone expects people who "work for Jesus" to live for a bigger story, but I think it speaks more for people with "secular jobs" to do what they do for Christ.

When Paul writes, 'And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him,' he is saying "that living for God's glory is not so much about what you do as it is about doing whatever you do in such a way that it reflects Jesus Christ to those around you and ultimately points people to Him. In other words, you don't have a better chance of glorifying God by being a preacher than you do by being a bond trader, or by being a missionary verses being a mother. You don't get more credit in the kingdom of God for being a songwriter than you do for being a student."

Sometimes I think we do a really good job at redirecting all the glory to God. Other times we fail miserably. How do we know when we are slipping? "When I live like I'm privileged, I have lost the plot. In other words, when I start acting like I deserve a certain outcome or a higher standard of life, I have failed to strike the fatal blow to self and am living like I actually have rights in this world apart from God. When I am demanding, I have lost the plot, insisting that God and others meet my needs on the timetable that I see fit. When I act pompous, I have lost the plot, thinking that I am somebody while only proving that I haven't had a good look at God today. When I crumble under the pressure, I have lost the plot, declaring that the outcome of life rests squarely on my shoulders, not His. When I start protecting, I have lost the plot, marking turf as though it were actually mine and forgetting that everything I have comes first from above. When I crave the spotlight for myself, I have lost the plot, losing sight of the story line and the one true Star. When I fail to celebrate the successes of others who are living for His fame, I have lost the plot, thinking that possibly we are on different teams when we actually share supporting roles in the same story. When I dwell on feelings of being unloved, unnoticed, or insignificant, I have lost the plot, abandoning the miracle of knowing God on a first-name basis."

Dying to self is not an easy thing. And looking up doesn't make all our problems magically go away either. However it does remind us that God is still I AM, and that His greatness, goodness, and God-ness is the best lens through which to view every day of our lives. It is time to embrace our role. You know...the small one.

Enjoy the Journey