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It's Not About Me
Joe Killian • Jun 30, 2017
As the brand new religious education director at St. Barbara I had just met Angie when she enrolled her daughter in the first grade. We had had a lengthy conversation about Angie's story and her serious health issues. I was inspired by her courage. In the second week of the program I conducted my annual parent meeting. A week later, Angie excitedly said she couldn't wait to share a story with me. She had been invited out to breakfast with a group of women who had just heard me speak at the parent meeting. One of the women complained saying, "I don't think I like this new director." Angie asked her why. "Because he is telling us that our faith is more important than all of our other family activities." Angie told me how she had responded to the woman. "Think about what you just said." After a long pause the woman said, "Oh my! I think I do like this guy."
I want to emphasize that this story is not about me. However, it clarifies this week's Gospel:
Jesus said to his apostles: "Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
"Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and whoever receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward. And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to drink because the little one is a disciple—amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward." Matthew 10:37-42
Keep the context of Jesus' words in mind. He has mentioned division, persecution and even death as He prepares the apostles for their ministry to the lost of Israel. "...more than mother and father...daughter or son?" Can you imagine the thoughts of the apostles? "Wow, people aren't going to like this message." But the reality is that some did accept this challenging message from Jesus. And Jesus makes it clear that for those who do so, the reward is great!
Angie had the courage to help the woman see past my words to the core of my message. But it's not about me. Or you. Or our families. It is about Jesus Christ. He must come before all else. Once we place Him there we can courageously proclaim Jesus' message to all.
The story continues...I'm still working on the pondless waterfall in our front yard. I shared this project with you two weeks ago in Playin' In the Dirt. Since then I've had to rework sections of the stream three different times because we were losing too much water. I am now an expert on evaporation rates and excessive splash, two causes of water loss. This morning I tore the whole thing apart and I'm starting over.
Have you ever watched DreamWorks Animation's Kung Fu Panda? I stumbled across it recently and thoroughly enjoyed Jack Black's performance as a bumbling, noodle selling, kung fu enthusiast, giant panda named P o. Set in ancient China, it is more than a humorous slapstick comedy. The core message of the story jumped out at me as I have been focusing recently on the concept of being. Po is shockingly identified as the Dragon Warrior and he reluctantly enters training. The goal of the training is to receive the Dragon Scroll, which is believed to hold the secret to limitless power. Now I don't want to spoil the big reveal but I will say that what Po realizes is the same as what I speak to in the concept of being and authentic identity. So, where do we find the secret to our "power?" I praise You, because I am wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works! My very self You know. Psalm 139:14 God knows it; and we must seek Him with all of our hearts in order to find it. As it was in the movie, the answer is stunningly simple. Our authentic identity is already within us. The challenge for Po in the movie was in seeing himself accurately and not the way others saw him. Even his teacher scoffed at the idea that Po was anything more than an underachieving dreamer who overate when he was anxious. Po's problems are rooted in the fact that he believes the lie of his false identity much more than he does his authentic one. Is it possible that you do the same? Who could have imagined that beneath all of Po's girth lived the Dragon Warrior? What's hidden from view in you? Seek God for understanding as to who He created you to be. Spoiler Alert: the secret of your limitless power is already in you. God placed it there and He wants you to be who He authentically created you to be.
Maria and I have been playing in the dirt a lot recently. First we replaced our French drain and then we embarked on a creative project intended to change the entire look of our front yard. My brother Jeffrey and I installed a new front step.
