A refreshed view of humility:

I have new responsibilities. I'm going to be part of the music ministry at my church in the absence of a music minister. I won't be playing drums or doing anything I've done before. I'll be leading the congregational singing. I'll be standing in front of my church family singing songs I don't know very well, feeling very naked.

My last post touched on the humility that God seemed to be crafting, forcefully, in me. I think in no small part it's because I am going to be in a front and center position and my church is compliment happy. There are no two ways about it, at least at first, I'm going to be told I'm doing a good job. That can pretty easily get to a guys head and make it swell up.

What's the secret to avoiding this? It's found right in the book of Romans.

"For by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think. Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one." (Rom. 12:3)

God's humbling of a person is essentially this, taking the preconceptions you have about yourself and smashing them. It's a lot like the fun houses I went in at the fair. Tons of mirrored walls reflecting your image oddly. God's humbling process is like shattering those mirrors, because they made you think you were something that you aren't. Except the Fun House mirrors made you "uglier", the mirrors that God shatters make you look better, at least to yourself.

Humility is God removing the things that made you count anything other than the grace you've been given as merit. It's my prayer that God continues to shatter the mirrors that show me distorted versions of myself and that I remain joyous every time he uses someone to do it.

There is no jump for this one. And here is the rest of it.