...and another post by Scott. I think he has officially hijacked my blog! Really, it's okay. I don't have the time to blog anyways!
The Humble King
Amy, our third child, recently started calling me “the humble king.” It was pretty sweet. Unfortunately, I had to burst her bubble and let her know there’s only one humble King and it ain’t daddy. If only I were that humble!
It got me thinking about humility though. What does true humility look like? I once heard that humility is not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less. I think that pretty much sums it up. Christ is the perfect embodiment of this; a true King who set aside everything to become nothing for the sake of others.
But it’s hard to find that type of humility these days (even in the church). I don’t see it very often, especially in myself. In fact, I see the opposite quite a lot. I see people pursuing positions of honor, people who love praise, and people who seek after wealth and then flaunt it. Rarely is any of this truly forsaken for others.
Yes, we still give to others, but we often do it out of abundance while we continue to gratify ourselves. Where’s the humility in that? It’s like saying Christ could have stayed in Heaven and redeemed humanity from there without sacrificing anything.
So little Amy has encouraged us (in her own way) to embark on a mission of humility. Not in our own strength or to receive any praise. We want to think of others more and of ourselves less. We want to live humbly for others and before others to glorify the One who gave up everything for us.
What will it look like? We’re not entirely sure, but we can tell you what it won’t look like. It won’t look like the rest of the world. If we want to be closer to Him we need to identify with those things that manifest His character: humility and sacrifice are but two.
This time of year we celebrate the birth of Christ. Honestly, it’s really hard to even fathom the reality of what we celebrate. The Creator of time and space, entered time and space. The One who created man became a man. The One who is infinitely more, became less. He descended from the heights of glory into the depths of humanity, not escorted on a chariot or by angels, but in the lowliest way possible. Without a place to even lay His head, He poured Himself out as an offering for His people – sinless, bruised, buried, risen, glorified.
Now that’s a humble King.
“though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.” 2 Cor. 8:9
