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World Champion Humility
Joe Killian • Nov 03, 2017
The Houston Astros won the World Series the other night. Maria and I stayed up late to watch because we have become Astros fans. Maria's favorite is Jose Altuve. He is one of the shortest players in the game but has become one of the best players in all of baseball. My favorite is George Springer who, like Altuve, plays with a childlike joy. Watching these guys celebrate their victory made us a smile, especially in light of the devastation that the people of Houston have endured. We see a lot of self-promotion and attention grabbing in the sports world so it was nice to see these men humbly pointing to the people of Houston as their motivation to win. Check out an opposite motivation in this week's Gospel.
Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying, "The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry and lay them on people's shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them. All their works are performed to be seen. They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues, greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation 'Rabbi.' As for you, do not be called 'Rabbi.' You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers. Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven. Do not be called 'Master'; you have but one master, the Christ. The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted." Matthew 23:1-12
Jesus singles out the scribes and Pharisees for their attention grabbing behaviors. Jesus points to the many things they do to honor themselves, particularly in public. Using them as examples of what not to do, Jesus teaches that humble service is the way to go.
It is easy to see a lack of humility in people. We don't need to look far in our media saturated world. But the real question is, are we humble? As someone who is in front of audiences frequently, I know how hard it is to not draw attention to myself. I believe the answer lies in what motivates us. Are we motivated by our love for God? It takes a lot of work to get to the core of our motivations, even as we serve. Humility is hard earned and it doesn't come easily. True humility comes from a profound motivation to pursue God and live for His purposes.
The Houston Astros are World Champions, for the first time in their history. They achieved this through years of hard work. Finding a purpose greater than themselves and their baseball team allowed them to bring joy to many hurting people. That is what true humility does.
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.
