Practicing Acceptance

10 Jun Practicing Acceptance

Read Colossians 3:12-17
Thought for the Day: Today, I can pray for others!

Recently, I was driving through Boston and stopped at a red light. As I waited, a homeless man knocked on my window and held up a sign asking for monetary assistance. Quickly looking down, I realized that I was not carrying any gift cards or cash. Despite the fact that I have a desire to help others, I knew there was nothing I could do other than pray. When the light changed, I let go of the brake and kept driving but left with an odd feeling. As I kept driving, I realized that I was simply wrestling with an opportunity to practice humility: a situation had presented itself where I had faced my own powerlessness and relatively low importance. While I live my life trying to help others, God continues to teach me that humility is understanding that I am powerless over people, places, and things!

Writing to the Colossians, the Apostle Paul stressed the importance of humility. Just as I have learned that I am powerless in many situations, the Church at Colossae needed to learn the importance of being humble like Jesus. With this in mind, Paul reminded them to “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved… humility”. Living in the First Century, the Colossians learned that living humbly is a choice. While Christ lived a perfect humble life, believers are invited to imitate Him and embrace living more like Jesus (rather than self-importantly).

In our world, humility is counter-cultural. When we sit at the stoplights in our lives, it is easy to feel overly self-important but incredibly hard to be humble. We live in a ME-focused culture and tend to delude ourselves into believing that we can control or change situations. In reality, we can’t control people, places, or things. Instead, let’s remember that even when we feel helpless, we have incredible opportunities to pray for others as we follow Jesus.

In Christ,
Pastor Stan