Have you ever wanted something so bad you could almost taste it?
Yep. Me too.
I don’t know about you, but usually after I get something I’ve wanted for a very long time, it’s only a matter of weeks, maybe months, before I’m latched on to another want.
It’s the pattern of humanity. The sinful sequence of greed.
And, in my experience, the only way to overthrow the sinful sequence of greed is with lots and lots of humility.
Unfortunately, humility is a tough lot to come by.
I am learning quite a lot about the mysterious act of humility lately. I believe my NIV study Bible can explain humility in a more accurate light than myself, so I’m handing the room over to TrueImages for the moment:
“The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised. In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.”
Job 1:21b-22
Humility means yielding to God’s leading instead of your own. The odd thing about humility is that you can’t fake it. The moment you notice that you have it, well, it’s not really there. It’s something that only God can teach you. (p. 604 of my TrueImages study Bible)
Those words really hit home to me this morning. They’re incredibly convicting. The fact that, in order for me to have humility, I must first give myself completely over to Jesus, trusting His way is better than mine, is totally intimidating.
I’m not sure if I’m ready to do that.
Yes, I am a believer, and yes, I have been saved, but that doesn’t automatically grant me the kind of bold courage and blind trust Job had–and his life was ten times worse than mine!
Reallyyyy makes me feel like a crappy Christian, I’ve gotta admit.
I want to trust Jesus with my future, but it terrifies me. What if His plans lead me in the complete opposite direction than where I want to be? What if my dreams aren’t a part of His plan for me?
It all comes down to humility, I guess. God has to teach us to be humble–it isn’t some instinct we’re born with. It’s a learning process.
And to me, that is humbling.
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