Luke Chapter 14 – The Last Shall Be First
The classes I attended in Primary 1 and 2 were 1 and 2 Humility. In many ways, before I learned the meaning of humility, God had already planted subconscious seeds of its importance in my mind.
As a consequence of a rapid accumulation of both constructive and destructive criticism, feedback and judgement, this particular piece has been a struggle to write.
Pride was the root of man’s first sin. God, fully knowing one of man’s greatest temptations, conspicuously scattered reminders of the pitfalls of pride and warnings against pridefulness throughout the Bible. This, at least to me, is reflective of the course of each day; not a day goes by without a show of pride, even if but a trace.
We are reminded of our own shortcomings everyday. We are very limited. There is too much we cannot control, anticipate, prevent. Perhaps most times we make up for the shame in our lack, almost as a means of self-preservation/self-soothing, by comparing ourselves with everyone and anyone around us, esteeming ourselves and our opinions as less inferior than them.
Jesus knows that pride and humility are matters of the heart. Hence, He knows that both pride and humility are conscious choices to be made, that choosing between and wanting to carry out one or the other is easier said than done. God’s singular greatest command to us, the foundation of our faith, is to love Him with all our heart, soul and strength, and then to love our neighbours as we do ourselves.
Bearing this in mind, without a shadow of doubt, do we not see that our life’s purpose is to sow and grow in love? Do we not see that we can only do so if we see and leave for ourselves that much more room sow and grow? Of what gain/benefit is it to us if we choose to live otherwise?
The value of lives is weighed, determined and evaluated by God alone. Not one of us is better than the other, it is only that, as a body is not complete without even one of its many members, we play different roles; we need each other and ought to live in service for the good of one another, for God’s plan.
May God grant us the wisdom to deny our good, to look at and consider each other through such a lens, and to commit and do unto God and others what we would have done unto us.
