Day 13
Scripture focus: After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, "Do you understand what I was doing? You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and you are right, because that's what I am. And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other's feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message. Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them. John 13:12-17 NLT
I had been invited to speak at a gathering of fellow believers and was thrilled. It was a long drive and the roads were rain-slicked. Traffic was heavy. What was usually a pleasant experience for me - solitary driving without my teenage children's musical selections to distract me - turned stressful. No worries, I thought. The meeting will be fun. I arrived at my destination and was completely ignored. Eventually I started introducing myself - a piece of cake for an extrovert. But it was a bit disconcerting to be greeted with, "You aren't one of those long-winded types are you?" I know it's a grand opportunity to bring God's message of hope; I didn't let this comment dishearten. Surely God would bless this gathering! They handled the "business" portion of the meeting and I waited patiently. Business took a couple of hours, but I was unflappable - better that the group get all this off their chest; they'll be more open to the message if they're not distracted. After all this strenuous discussion, they decided to break for lunch. Fine by me, the food smelled delicious. Unfortunately, the group agreed. Pushing and shoving, jostling and jiggling, these folks rushed to the serving line; I held back. If I'm going to get crushed by a crowd, I prefer it to happen for something really big - like a grand opening of a mall, or a cool concert. When I make it to the buffet, I find a couple stalks of broccoli and two rolls. After lunch, I deliver the message I was asked to bring to a crowd dazed by over-indulgence. The snoring was audible. I soldiered on. At the earliest possible opportunity, I fled the debacle and headed home. By the time I rounded the bend in my driveway the entire day amused me immensely. I knew that this memory would make a good illustrative story. The trip was worth it. I am convinced that embedded in the message I delivered that day was a message of hope from God himself. I fear that a barrier was erected that hindered the listeners from receiving it. Arrogant entitlement may hinder our ability to receive from God (and others) what we need to live the abundant life God intends for us to discover on a daily basis. These folks believed that they were doing me a favor to ask me to drive the width of the state of Virginia to talk to them for twenty minutes; they felt entitled. I agree with them (mostly). It is always a privilege to deliver a message from the word of God; I also believe that hearing one is more a privilege than a perk.
"Once you are into adulthood, maturity causes a change in the way you frame your options. At least it should. You stop doing anything and everything you feel entitled to, and you start doing the things you choose to be the best for you. You eliminate a lot of options just because you know they lead to destruction and more pain. With arrogant entitlement we never quite get to that next level of being concerned for others. We just stay stuck between picking things we can do that are harmful and picking things not so harmful so we can continue on the path we have chosen for ourselves. We may look less stupid because we are not getting into trouble or the hospital as often, but we are still living in a world where everything is self-focused." (Stephen Arturburn, Reframe Your Life, pp. 39 and 40)
Recommended reading: Genesis 28 and 29 in the morning; Psalm 11 in the evening
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Proverbs 4:23 TNIV
1 comment:
This past Friday night ABC's 20/20 looked at the concept of happiness. It was a great look at all the things that go into making a person happy. In the end it seems that there is no such thing as "personal" happiness, that the happiest people live in community and seem to gain great contentment and fulfillment from living lives that take into account what is good for "the common good". I was thinking about how this is so the opposite of arrogant entitlement. As long as I am self-focused I am using all my energies to arrange for my perceived sense of happiness. I neither have the time, desire, or good sense to learn that the abundant life I so want is being blocked by me!
I want to mature into the kind of person that knows and pursues the true meaning of happiness.
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