The Feast of Our Lord, The Giver of Life
If a new year means a new beginning, then what does a new decade mean to you? What are you looking forward to in 2020? The year 2020 will probably be like any other year; full of confusing and depressing events, but there will be some good things too. There will even be several interesting things as the new decade starts. We have a whole ten years to shape the trends, life plans and events that will be associated with the 20's. As they say, we are the makers of our own destiny. We can make our plans, but the Lord directs our steps (Proverbs 16:9). We can make a good start by practicing important values in our lives. One of these is humility. Though striving to keep it ever-present can be difficult, it is very important to live in humility. By staying humble, we can appreciate what we have in our life and keep a positive mindset for whatever the future has in store.
In the gospel from Matthew 18:1-5, Jesus teaches on humility. When the disciples came to Him asking, "Who then is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven"? Jesus answered, "Unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven, and whoever humbles himself as little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven." The Lord called and set a little child in the midst of the disciples because He had great regard for children. Jesus and His Kingdom is not about the ranking of men from least to greatest. Rather, it is about changed lives and service of the Lord. It was intended for us to notice the necessity of being converted or born again like a baby. Children are innocent, teachable, very open about their needs, and eager to learn. In order to be in our Lord's Kingdom, we have to change: give up the competitive drive to beat others, be open about spiritual needs, and be willing to listen and learn. The character of humility that we often see in babies is reflected in their meekness, purity of motives, and innocent willingness to serve. That's true greatness!
Every Christian must posses humility in a way that glorifies God. Jesus is our role model, and we are expected to live just as He lived. Even in leadership humility is effective; it is manifested by minimizing differences, listening to subordinates, welcoming input, acknowledging that you are not always right, being willing to change course when your plan seems not to work, and thinking of others before yourself.
God knows that we are not perfect, but He will surely reward the faithful ones who keep moving forward despite challenges. Be reminded also that obeying and thanking God is a natural result of humbling ourselves before Him. If you look forward to having a blessed life, then have this important virtue because humility produces God's fruit and you'll be amazed at the blessings that will result.
