And here’s another truth: Most people fall somewhere between those two extremes, wanting to be the latter, sometimes falling into the former. And most people are weak, on either extreme. Judas: weak. Peter: weak. Strength is found in what we do once we figure out we’re weak. And character is shown when we choose to do the right thing even though we’re weak. Judas: characterless. Peter: characterful.
What are we to do with that?
"Do not be afraid! I know that you are seeking Jesus the crucified. He is not here, for he has been raised just...
As Jesus lies in the tomb, that grain of wheat fallen to the ground in order that He may bear much fruit, we are...
It’s the first day of Holy Week. Today Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey to shouts of hosannas. The world loves Him–both those who believe He is merely a talented prophet or healer and those who believe He is the Messiah. Regardless of the category into which the people fall, it will be only days before they are all clamouring for his death. Think about that for a moment. He is followed and adored just mere days before those same shouts morph into cries of, “Crucify Him!”
In this final day of our journey towards a greater humility, we ask Jesus to give us the grace to desire that others are considered more than we. As John the Baptist, we must seek the Lord first and allow Him to increase while we decrease.
The increasing popularity of social media has put focus on just how deep our “I trouble” goes. We’re constantly photographing ourselves and then checking to see how many people approve of the post—aka approve/like us.
The fear of being forgotten can leave us emotionally—sometimes physically—frozen. For many, the very thought of being left behind, being alone, is enough to drive them to the opposite extreme—clamouring to be consulted, to have our opinion matter so much to others that they seek our advice for minute details.
Fear of being humiliated is often easy to admit. After all, we all can relate to not wanting to be made the fool. But admitting we desire to be preferred to others is more difficult. The very feeling itself is an admission that we also desire for someone else to be “less preferred”
From the game-winning score to the top of the corporate ladder, we love it when we’re praised for our achievements. On the flip-side, it’s not so great to have to be reprimanded for mistakes. But, if we think on it logically, does praise make the achievement greater than if no one acknowledged it?
Have you noticed a pattern in the things from which we need to be delivered in order to become more humble? The desires all are statuses that move us to the head of the table. The fears all are demotions that remove us from the spotlight and cast us into the fringes of society.
We all want to be loved. It’s part of our DNA and can’t be denied, but sometimes we crave the love of others so much it becomes a constant preoccupation, and the fear of not being loved becomes a chronic source of stress. If we’re constantly worried about whether our actions will cause people to despise us, or whether we’re lovable enough not to be rejected, we sink into that “I” trouble we touched on in Part 1.
It’s a wonderful feeling when people are lifting us onto a pedestal, and it’s difficult sometimes not to want the adulation. Likewise, it’s terrible—often debilitating—when people are talking about us behind our backs, especially if what’s being said is slanderous. It only makes sense that we would desire one and fear the other.