Humility

Ash Wednesday, March 1: Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,

Who, though he was in the form of God,

did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited,

but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave,

being born in human likeness.

And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death

— even death on a cross. Philippians 2:5-8 (NRSV)

“He is so full of himself!” The only time we can say it with absolute delight is when we see the joy on a baby’s face as he proudly takes his first steps. And that’s when all the trouble starts: The living room becomes a hot zone with pointy corners of end tables, previously taken for granted. Even the once innocuous oval coffee table, with its TV guide and Yankee candle looms in the danger zone 24 inches off the living room floor, with every other un-cushioned surface. Pity the parents who have an old fashioned radiator in the mix at ground zero!

We all started out as that toddler, so full of ourselves. We spend the next 20, or 40 (or more) years learning that it is not WE who are able, but God, and only God, who can do all things. On the heels of great accomplishments, learning to praise God instead of pat ourselves on the back is the emptying oneSELF. The opening line of the bestselling book “A Purposeful Life” is IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU and I suspect the miracles resulting from learning that lesson are responsible for its success.

Last year I was invited to lead Consecration weekend at Zion Lutheran Church in Long Valley, 75 miles from home; no doubt, an assignment hot off God’s heavenly desk. Months before the big weekend, I began meeting with the entire church council and stewardship team, leading intimate discussions about the many ways God has graced our lives and how we respond to that grace. We prayed together (and we prayed apart) that God would open our hearts (and wallets) that Zion might grow the kingdom of God in their neck of the woods and around the globe. Together, we emptied ourSELVES, leaving room for the Holy Spirit who is ABLE to change hearts. Guided by the Holy Spirit, we wrote new offertory prayers that were used in worship. In the end, the projected income from the pledges for 2006 increased by 23%. To God, be all the glory! God, who is ABLE to do all things, led us through an awesome transformational experience together. My role was very limited. My praise is unending! Opening up to God’s leading is the mountaintop experience that we all yearn for. Expect miracles to follow.

He has uniquely gifted every single one of us for His purpose, to grow His kingdom and glorify Him. The “I wants, I needs, I have tos, and I can’ts” are the coffee tables and radiators we hit our heads on when we were proud and reckless toddlers, King of the Living Room, full of ourSELVES. The tough work of emptying ourSELVES is a journey. We wait for God to do miracles for us, but God is waiting for us to follow in the footsteps of His son, who emptied himSELF for us. During this Lenten journey, may we take another step toward emptying ourSELVES, that He will use us in some new way that will glorify Him.

Father in Heaven,

Forgive me for being so full of myself at times, and growing my own kingdom. I am tired of hitting my head on the coffee table. I want to grow. Walk with me on this Lenten journey, I pray, and teach me more every day about how to un-wrap the yet unopened gifts inside of me; that all who see, may know Your glory through me. Amen.

Linda S. Magill

lindabythesea@yahoo.com