I had the humbling pleasure of happening upon this verse this morning, and boy, am I ever glad that I did. Let's just say that sometimes, I have this tendency to become so fixated on my own little world, my own desires, my own accomplishments and achievements and self-absorbed musings. I get utterly and hopelessly lost in myself. Indeed, it is our natural inclination as humans to give ourselves the glory, to pat ourselves on the back a tad too heavily or a bit too frequently, and to regard life's towering pedestal as our rightful stomping ground. But just because something is a natural human inclination doesn't necessarily mean it's right. You see, we also have this natural impulse to gossip and this inherent proclivity to worry, but we don't parade around boasting about such things. I mean, when was the last time you talked to someone who said, "I am just such a good gossiper. Wow"? No; that sounds absurd and downright stupid. Yet, we somehow find the boasting, in and of itself, to be perfectly justifiable, to flaunt what we deem as "ours," to say loudly & proudly, "To (insert your name here) be the glory." Because it's only natural, right?
And that is so gosh darn misguided. Now, I'm not saying that we shouldn't be confident human beings. No way; I'm seriously all about that idea of confidence. After all, we are made in the very image of Christ; we're the beauteous workmanships of a perfect, massive, unceasing God. To deny our worth is to deny the worth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And that is something I am not all about. So yes, be confident. Realize that who you are is absolutely incredible due to whose you are. But for crying out loud, we have got to quit taking all the credit.
Because honestly, we have to give credit where credit is due. And that's in the hands of Jesus. It's not all about us; it's all about Him. Without Him, we are nothing. Because frankly, our Savior is astounding & abounding & confounding. He alone is the reason we have hope; He alone provides refuge in each and every one of life's storms; He alone makes new. And to know Jesus Christ is to want to know Him more. And to want to know Him more is to want others to know Him more, simply due to the fact that He is that great. However, if we're constantly consumed by our own agendas or ensconced in our own greatness, we lose sight of what we're doing. We become greater; He becomes less. And that's no good. After all, we should be so enraptured by the love of our Lord that it almost inevitably spills over, permeates every aspect of our lives. He should play such a fundamental role in each day that we can't help but let His ever-enveloping light shine in everything we do and in every word we say and in every heart we seek to touch. He must become GREATER. I must become less. I must set aside my self-seeking desires and recognize that He alone makes all things possible, and man, am I ever blessed to be able to share His unfathomable goodness with others.
Modesty is the best policy. Give a shout out to God.
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