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.”
“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.”
this reading reminds us of the need to be humble in what we do. I don't think I do a whole lot of showing off what I've done and the accomplishments I've achieved in life...I used to not be able to stand the students in my elementary school who did that. I always kept my successes to myself...and it was easy to not necessarily think I was doing something incredible when my parents and I set such high goals. That's not to say that I didn't know exactly when I did something right, but the bar was always set in the clouds and even if I touched them, the goal was to stay afloat.
ReplyDeleteI still believe I keep this same kind of mindset. However, it's not just about being humble in what you do. It's being humble in ALL aspects...including your personality. I was told lately from a friend that I tend to look for the limelight sometimes in group settings, like I WANT people to know I arrived. She told me that it wasn't done in an obnoxious way...and yet...I think that is something I need to not do. Looking for attention isn't something that I need to foster. I think since growing up from a boy to a man, there's been a little voice on my shoulder whispering out "Hey, look at me!!" especially since I was never really paid much attention when I was small. I think there's a very fine line between confident and cocky. Here's to praying for God's grace in walking on the right side of that line. With God in focus, there's no doubt where that boundary lies.