humility

humble pie

ChelanLeave a comment

there’s a guy whose blog i visit weekly cause he writes often…about stuff that matters. in his own words:

A bit about me in a nice bulleted list for easy reading

• Husband and father of two
• Disgusted with America not being America anymore
• Fed up with Christianity not being Christianity anymore
• Tired of seeker sensitive as well as the emerging church and its leadership
• Grossed out by church politics and their business-like approach
• Sickened by liberal, hippie, hipster – “Christians” that abuse God’s grace
• Living in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.
• An architect by trade and education waiting to do what I am meant to do
• Formally a licensed minister serving in a Pastor of Worship capacity
• Constantly searching for truth and not sugar coated, happy-go-lucky, Bible chats and story time.
• I love food (too much) sports, and many nerdy hobbies.

In http://www.dadreformed.com you will see random articles containing my rants on the topics above as well personal entries…

well, thought i’d send you over to a post of his about humbling ourselves, cause i think we all need a good kick in the butt reminder of this every so often…or every day.

yesterday i did something embarrassingly irresponsible. i had to fight – spiritually – to keep shame from overwhelming me. – to keep from lying about it – to keep from supressing it all. it was something that could have happened and probably happens to moms all the time, but to me? i know i have too much pride in the way i mother…& just…the way i do things.

but last night, God gave me the courage to confess (to my friend/husband). all the sudden, my tears would not stop! but they weren’t flowing from shame so much as self-realization and release. i knew that without confession & the humility therein, i’d be held captive in my spirit by shame. shame speaks my enemy’s native tongue as it suffocates my mind… unless i see it for what it is and speak out against it. it’s really hard to do. but it’s freeing to express it. confess it. & embrace.

how ’bout instead of pumpkin, let’s have a piece of humble pie today?

http://dadreformed.com/2008/11/13/humbling-ouselves

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shoes off, pt.2

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in ancient times, people took their shoes off as a display of humility or selflessness.

pastor allen rigg of calvary austin spoke about this in a massage like 9 months ago, & it really stuck. he gave many examples, but i have a few of my own:

 “shoes-off”:

  • you’re running late, but you let another driver in front of you
  • you go out of your way to spend your last $3. at starbucks – for a tired friend
  • you say you’re sorry and actually ask for forgiveness

 “shoes-on”:

  • you write in a comment card at a restaurant, to tell managers about your crappy service (for the waiter’s own good, of course)
  • you disregard your commitment to your family so you can feel the fleeting confidence boost from flirting with a coworker
  • you find a way to revolve most conversations around you and your interests

***~~~~~~~~~~~~***~~~~~~~~~~~~***~~~~~~~~~~~

remove the shoes. remove the barrier. remove all pretences. relax. it’s a way of saying you can be who you  are in front of someone…toss the film & filth aside, say in a humble way, “here they are-  my nasty, calloused, rancid smellin’ feet!” or better yet, “could you rinse off, disinfect,  soften the hardest, dirtiest parts of me… separate me from the silt & sludge of this  world”.  ok, guess that means i’ve come full circle, back to reason 1 – getting  clean. 

Jesus washed his disciples’ feet, so, each one had to take his shoes off first, right? he even scrubbed & wiped the sweaty grime from the feet of the man who he knew would commit treason against him that very day, resulting in his brutal murder.

it’s been embarrassing, even downright shameful for me to be barefoot (literally and symbolically), but that’s ok. taking that step can mean letting go of the crud, but at the same time embracing how i was made – i’m his disciple too, reluctantly letting even Jesus serve me & wash me clean.

~ how does one do that? ~

~ what’s something you’ve done this week that was “shoes-on” ~

well, c’mon, let me hear ya!

raising the bar, pt.3 “confrontation”

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matthew 15:18 –

“Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. if he hears you, you have gained your brother.”

raise the bar:

i thought it was pretty noble to forgive those who come to me after they’ve offended me. even more so if they never asked for forgiveness out right. but this passage says essentially that if i’m offended by someone’s actions toward me, i don’t wait for him to come a-knockin’ Continue reading →

1 peter 5:6,7,10

Chelan1 Comment

humble yourselves…that he may lift you up in due time.

cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

and the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.