The Falling Leaves of Humility

This is one of my favorite times of the year. The air is cool and crisp. I don’t know about you, but I feel like getting out and doing more things. I sense my energy is coming back after it took a vacation during the hot days of summer. Having the energy is a good thing because fall brings on a constant borage of leaves everywhere…and raking.

Recently, when I was taking a break from sweeping the leaves off the deck, I began to ponder their colors and the cycle they had been through to this point. When the leaves first came on the scene in the spring, they were a lush green and full of life. Now the leaves sported bright reds, glowing yellows, and radiant oranges as their attire. This display of beauty, I believe, is the leaves best work before their final resting place on the ground.

Unexpectedly, I felt my attention being drawn to the pile of brown leaves that I had raked to the corner of my backyard. My curiosity peaked so I questioned the Lord.

 “Lord, why do all the leaves eventually turn brown? Why don’t they retain their color after falling to the ground?”

He responded with this, “Brown is the color which symbolizes humility. After a season of glory, everything has to come back to the place of humility. That is the way I keep things in perspective. That is how I help ‘you’ from losing your perspective. “

As I thought about His words, I realized He was right. There are times when I grow in my faith and life goes well with me. I am able to venture out into the world and maybe even accomplish a great feat or two. His mercy and grace ever present with me and I am able to witness of that fact to others. But then slowly, everything comes to an end. The signs that the season is changing begin to emerge. What use to work does not work anymore. God is letting me know that the present season is over. It’s time to come back to rest, reflect, and rejuvenate at the foot of the cross to humble myself before him.

What does it mean to be humble? Humility is acknowledging that I am totally dependent on God for everything. It is God who sustains me and brings me to and through all situations whether I recognize Him at work or not.

While I am out there following my God-given directives, my focus can so easily be twisted from working ‘with’ God to working ‘for God’. The difference between the two is that working ‘with’ God, I seek for and strive to walk in godly wisdom. Working ‘for’ God, I tend to do what I think is best.  My decisions become centered on my human reasoning. The result of my change of focus may not show up right away. Eventually, I do have to face the issue of pride, which is humility’s adversary.

The best way I have found to handle pride is at the foot of the cross. God is always willing and ready to support you with abundant grace and a renewed focus on Him. Humility will not be able to rise again until I deal with the issue of my pride. Once I have regained my focus on God, I will ready to bloom again.

Where are you in your walk? Are you walking with God or for God? If pride has sidetracked you, don’t worry. God is there to help you find you way back. It will take some time before the throne of Grace and a willingness to seek godly counsel. But when you are ready to stand, you will have been refreshed and refocused to serve our Savior again. 

Narrowing Your Focus

Living in these days and times people we come in contact with are becoming less tolerant of our Christian ways and views. As these sentiments grow, we will have to find ways to combat the putdowns and sarcasm to gain the mental victory. Here is an example of making a negative comment turn into a compliment.

I was flying to my first writer’s conference when I was privileged to sit by an energetic mother of two. We’ll call her Judy. As we talked, I found out Judy was already a Christian but she was frustrated with people calling her ‘narrow-minded’ because of her faith in the Word of God.  As I continued to listen to this young mother’s search for mental stability and also her desire to be an example to her small boys, I began to pray for wisdom. Being a seasoned mother and believer myself, I wanted to help her receive something that would give her some peace of mind. Soon, the Lord’s inspiration began to flow.

 

I started by telling Judy that when people called her narrow-minded, she could actually consider that as a compliment. She looked at me funny. Then she asked how?

I explained to Judy that she had narrowed her scope to focus only on Jesus and His words. She was only funneling in what would help her grow in Christ and it was changing her perspectives. What others around her were seeing was a more purified version of her, one that glorified Christ and not her own selfish desires. In a round about way, others were actually validating her growth and giving her an opportunity to affirm her new lifestyle. Judy’s countenance began to lift with a smile.

Next, I asked Judy if Christlikeness was what she wanted to achieve? She said yes. Then I asked Judy if she wanted to proclaim the Christ living inside of her? She said yes. Last, I asked Judy if, she want to go forward or turn back? She thought for a moment and then responded with forward. Then I stated again, if she would choose to think of narrow-mindedness in a more positive way, she could turn the situation all around.

Last, I challenged Judy to respond differently when she was called narrow-minded. Instead of getting upset, just smile and thank them for acknowledging the godly choices she was making. I also told her to thank them for the opportunity to affirm those new choices. This way of response instead of frustration might lead to a greater opportunity to witness the love of Christ. Your positive attitude without judgment could change the atmosphere and bring forth seeds of salvation to be planted in the lives of others.

Judy was meeting her goal of becoming more like Christ by narrowing her focus to Him and His word alone. She was bravely standing up for what she believed when others wanted to pull her down. The fact that others were taking notice could be made into a plus, if she would choose to look at those situations in a new way.

I have set the Lord always before me.

Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

 Psalm 16:8

 

Have you ever been called narrow-minded and formed a negative attitude about yourself and others? Looking that these situations in a more positive way could bring about a new freedom in your walk with Christ. The process begins as you make a quality decision first. Who do you desire to please more…Christ or the world?    

Judy means:

She Who Praises, Righteous

 Then your light shall break forth like the morning, your healing shall spring forth speedily, and your righteousness shall go before you. (The Name Book by Dorothy Astoria)

Isaiah 58:8