Kopp Disclosure
(John 3:19-21)
@#$%
@#$%
Humility has not
come naturally to
me.
I was an early
overachiever in many ways - athletically, academically, vocationally, and
romantically.
Of course, while intellectually
and physically, uh, up, uh, for it, I was not emotionally and spiritually
mature enough to honor Him through the charismata/opportunities
entrusted to me.
Simply, I
mismanaged the charismata and
squandered so many opportunities for so long and mourn how I coulda and shoulda
if I woulda...
Yeah, He's
forgiven me.
That's the gospel
that includes even me.
Yeah, there are
some folks, even a son or two, who haven't forgiven me.
That's their
problem now a la Matthew 6:14-15; which is acknowledged with more sadness for
their souls than rationalizations for mine.
And while I've
come a long way despite feeling/knowing I'm just now scratching the surface of
my relationship with Jesus and learning how to love Him by loving like Him, I
can still be as arrogant, condescending, and egotistical as the worst of 'em.
It's something
I've learned painfully: "If you think you've arrived, it's time to start
over."
Psst.
Send $10 and I'll
send a book on that to you.
Seriously.
@#$%
Here's the deal -
covenantal if you know what
He means.
Humility, like
any true evidence/proof/fruit of being tight with F/S/HS (see Galatians
5:16-26), cannot be earned/learned by degrees, workshops, seminars, therapy, or
anything/anyone other than increasing intimacy with God through Jesus as
enabled by the Holy Spirit.
Evidence/proof/fruit of being tight with F/S/HS just happens supernaturally
when we hang out with Him.
Axiom.
Get closer to Him
and then you/me/we/they/anyone will begin to look like, uh, it/Him.
Putting it
another way, it doesn't happen through "Simple Simon" rubrics,
ceremonies, rituals, and collective rites aka religion but through an
increasingly authentic relationship with Him that happens by just, as He put
it, tarrying with
Him.
Again, getting
closer to Jesus always results in talking/walking more like Jesus.
It's that
simple...and difficult.
Increasing
humility enables increasing humility before Him enabling increasing humility in
all relationships as evidence/proof/fruit of increasing humility in
relationship with Him.
Or something like
that.
@#$%
I like how John
Dickson defines it in Humilitas:
A Lost Key to Life, Love, and Leadership (2011): "...the noble
choice to forgo your status, deploy your resources or use your influence for
the good of others before yourself...you could say the humble person is marked
by a willingness to hold power in service of others."
Paul: "Do
not think of yourself more highly than you ought."
Humility includes
recognizing our dependence upon F/S/HS for all things here and hereafter.
It includes
recognizing our interdependence within His family to maintain/increase health
in the Church (see Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12).
The humble person
is no more nor no less important than anyone else because everyone is
interdependent in dependence upon F/S/HS.
Corporate health
- global, national, local, and, uh, ecclesiastical - depends upon that kinda
individual humility.
Dickson:
"The most influential and inspiring people are often marked by
humility...Humility is holding your power - whether physical, financial,
intellectual, or political - for the good of others, not personal gain."
Humility is
integral to individual and corporate health.
Humility
fuels/heals relationships.
@#$%
Case in point.
Though I've got
my own problems, I'm often asked to mediate church/pastor conflicts.
I can't imagine
the pain felt by our Lord over churches/pastors who hate each other in a Christian kinda way.
Terrible witness.
Why would anyone looking
for peace and calm and a safe haven from the meanness, madness, and misery of
life in the modern world turn to churches that are filled with tension,
contention, and the like?
Yeah, people just
can't wait to become parts of such dissonant dysfunction.
Geez.
Well, I've
consulted with one church in which members sued each other over...
Seriously.
I'll never forget
talking to a sage in that church who said the solution to their/our problems
was/is so facile: "If folks exercised just a little humility in their
relationships with each other..."
Yep.
The twelve words
that save marriages can revive/restore lots of relationships: "I was
wrong. I am sorry. Please forgive me. I love you."
Of course, that requires
humility; and humility doesn't come natural to more people than just me.
Read the
preceding again.
@#$%
Dickson:
"There is an obvious conundrum facing the writer and readers of a book on
humility. Does the author think he has attained this difficult
virtue?...Both the arrogant and the humble are unlikely to think of themselves
as humble."
Interesting
recollection from Dickson: "I will never forget the comment of my best
friend...when I told him I was involved in research...on...humility. He
quipped, 'Well, John, at least you have the objective distance from the
subject!'"
I think of a
friend who can be as arrogant, condescending, and egotistical as me but will
never admit it because, uh, he likes to play the role of humble pastor without
being one.
He sells but
nobody buys.
When asked about
him, I said, "The only difference between him and me is I know I'm a
hypocrite."
Inquirer:
"If you know you're a hypocrite, that means you aren't one."
Me: "Obviously,
you don't know me well."
I struggle with
humility because it doesn't come natural to me or, uh, anybody else.
It can only begin
to happen as we increase our intimacy with Him.
Here's the real
hard part of the deal/covenant.
God builds up the
humble and pulls/pushes down the proud from their athletic, academic,
vocational, romantic, and otherwise arrogant, condescending, and egotistical
perches.
I know.
Believe me.
I know.
And that ain't
ever gonna stop until I'm totally dependent upon Him and gleefully
interdependent upon others as a big part of my dependence upon Him.
Yo!
Pass another
piece of that pie before He force-feeds me...again.
@#$%
@#$%
Blessings and Love!
5 comments:
Bob,
So good and soooo true! Again, getting closer to Jesus always results in talking/walking more like Jesus. My desire is to be so much more like Him so that as Paul said, I have decreased that He might increase.
Love it and love you
It is so hard to be humble
but thank God I have been given this gift
Makes me feel proud
Robert,
Good one!
I wrote a book on humility once. It was called: The Three Most Humble Pastors in the World ~ and How I Met the Other Two.
My first church actually honored me for being the most humble pastor they ever had. At the end of a service once, the whole session came down to the front and gave a speech about how humble I was. hen, in front of God and the whole congregation the actually gave me a medal for being the most humble pastor they ever had. it was a very nice medal. Had a very pretty ribbon and a gold medal that said "The Most Humble Pastor We've Ever Had."
But they took the medal back.
Because I wore it.
Bill
Bill,
You're making my day!
Post a Comment