“...be humble towards one another, always considering others better than yourselves.” (Philippians 2:3)
Living a life of self-fulfillment and self-aggrandizement comes easy for us. We are proud of our accomplishments and want others to be proud, too. But if we stop and think about the genesis of our blessings, we will see the blinding light of grace at work. Nothing is ours -- no accomplishment or reward. And if we realize this, how can we sometimes treat others like they are lesser than us or think they deserve their difficult circumstances? It is one of our human faults, and one for which Christ provides an antithetical model. Jesus, after all, ministered to and ate with prostitutes and taxpayers, and he even washed the feet of his disciples the night before he was tortured and killed on the cross. Christ lived his human life as the perfect example of humility, and we, Paul says, must do the same: “Be humble toward one another.”
In his treatise on imitating the life of Christ, the fifteenth century writer, Thomas à Kempis, distinctly reflects Paul’s words to the church in Philippi:
Claim nothing for yourself, think of others kindly and with admiration; that is the height of wisdom, and its masterpiece. Never think yourself better than the next person, however glaring their faults, however grievous their offenses, you are in good dispositions now, but how long will they last? Tell yourself, “We are frail, all of us, but none so frail as I.” (The Imitation of Christ)
Let us go out humbly into the world, loving others with the merciful, welcoming heart of Christ.
May the love of God bless you all in every way.
Stan
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