Accepting Lowness
To find joy without achievement.
This one goes against my personal grain. I have, for most of my life, sought significance in achievement. And achievement was always compared with others. If I happened to know the people I was competing against, like siblings or classmates, I found it didn’t naturally result in closer bonds. This is sad and ironic because one of the driving thoughts of high achievers (and this forms in the innocence of childhood) is that achievement brings love. Everyone loves a winner, n’est pas?
At least it shows the natural love drive built into us. But as we experience the jealousy and envy both in others toward us and in us toward them, it injures our love-brain chemistry. Soon ambition replaces the desire to be closer to others, because we have lost interest in this, and we direct our wills toward revenge and to control instead. This is the shift from living under the banner of Love to living under the banner of Power.
All of this explains why humility, learning to live under the control and direction of a God who is beyond controlling and manipulating, is vital to directing our steps. And our steps lead to our ultimate destination.
Accepting lowness is seeing that my worth has nothing to do with my achievements. It is good and fitting to do my best, grow, and develop talents and skills, to not accept mediocre as good enough, however, the motivation or purpose for striving is critical. If I am seeking acclamation for myself, then, as the love chapter (1 Corinthians 13) states, I am nothing. On the other hand, if I am using what has been given to me to love others well, then I am living a truly abundant life.
To me, this explains what Jesus meant by stating what I believe to be an important life principle, something we see played out both in ourselves and around us every day.
For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
Matthew 13:12 (ESV)
To get the full context of the statement above, read Matthew 13 start to finish. Lots of stories. Very interesting.