“Imitating Christ’s Humility”
Good Morning, and happy Wednesday! Hope your week is going well. I am encouraged, feeling quite a bit better today. Met with a different Dr yesterday. He encouraged brain surgery and gave me a different perspective. I have two appointments tomorrow with 2 different Dr.s to continue the discussion and also get my 12 staples out of my head. Initially had zero interest in brain surgery, but I am looking at it from a little different perspective, so we will figure out next steps pretty soon. Will keep you posted and here are a few thoughts for today.
Philippians 2 is a passage of scripture that for years and years has fascinated me. The simple idea is that if you “have any encouragement from being united with Christ,” then let Christ model how to go live your life day to day. There are so many different issues that people argue over and disagree about related to faith and christianity. I got a little weary of that years ago. But I have always found myself focused on Jesus and how he lived his life. The reality is that he created significant tension with both sides of believers. This text is such a beautiful model of how he lived and it has given me so much encouragement and focus over the years.
Here are a few ways this passage has shaped and influenced how I have tried to live my life. “Then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” (vss. 2-4)
The like minded idea is “ like Christ.” There was a time in my life when my focus was very much other people, especially men. Men that I thought were leaders and that I needed to model and follow. To be honest, I can go back over time and look at so many different men who at some point I ended up disappointed and discouraged by some of their choices and actions. Part of the problem for me early on was that I had unhealthy needs and expectations from others. The big idea from this text that became a game changer for me was, “in humility value others above yourselves.”
The challenge for me as I understand this idea is rooted in this. I can’t truly value others in healthy ways unless I have a high, healthy value of myself. The challenge then becomes, is my value rooted in humility or arrogance? I believe this is what Jesus molded so beautifully. He was able to live out such a beautiful model of humility, but it flowed out of his value and love of “self.” For him this seemed to be completely rooted in his understanding of God’s love and value of who he was. I love this line, “Who, being in nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.”
There is truly this tension that I live in and that brings me great comfort. I am loved by the God of creation. He cares deeply about me and wants me to know and understand the significance of my life. This truth and reality in no way suggests to me that this life will be easy and if I’m living right I will have no hardships or pain. What is does mean to me is that regardless of the very real challenges of this life, I can live in peace, love and joy. God will share his love and grace with me and then give me opportunities to share that with others.
I have always been drawn to this idea. “And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death - even death on a cross.” Death is a very real part of life. Over the years, I have buried people who died completely out of the blue, and I have buried people who died late in life and their death was not a great shock. I want to be clear, I am not ready to die. There are things in this life I still want to do and experience. But if my window is starting to close, it’s okay. That changes nothing. I am loved by God and my hope is whatever is coming next, I will find some simple ways to be an extension of his love and grace to others.
Remember, you are loved and of great value. We live in a broken world and as you experience God’s love and grace find some simple ways to share that with others.
Peace,