saturday, december 8
Humble Opportunities
But as for you, the LORD took you and brought you out of the iron-smelting furnace, out of Egypt, to be the people of his inheritance, as you now are.
Deuteronomy 4:20
I want to share with you some lyrics from the Christian artist Bethany Dillon:
“Tell me when this night is over / And the curtain falls / That I will know the truth / When it’s the only thing that’s standing tall.”
Oh how my heart wants to be reassured of that! My flesh is this tent that keeps me from experiencing Jesus the way I really want to see Him. I need to know that one day I will be able to bow down at His feet with no other agenda except to hold onto His every breath and finally be eternally satisfied. Because here on earth, I get so easily frustrated with the daily tasks that distract me from being the kind of person I want to be for Him. I am so desperately trying to be a good college student, and am realizing that the closer I get to “perfection” is actually the farther I am from it. I have overlooked the most simple, humble things to try and better myself when, in reality, if I only held onto the small opportunities given to me, I would be far better off.
For instance, I totally blew off helping a semi-blind person the other day. I walked away and turned my head around and just watched her walk off. I could have led her to her next class. I could have helped her so she wouldn’t have had to rely on her white cane as much. I could have gotten to know her a little bit, been a friend. But I didn’t.
Maybe I was scared she wouldn’t trust me. Or worried it would turn into some big time commitment and she would expect me to be friends with her, and help her out all the time. Or what if she was waiting for someone else to help her and I simply wasn’t needed?
This reminds me of some of the worries Moses may have had when God told Him He would save His people. Even Jesus may have had some of these anxious feelings when He knew He would be crucified. But that’s the beauty of the advent season; Jesus comes into our lives and humbles Himself before us. Before us, the sinners! Even those of us who look back on our days and realize we could have lived more faithfully. Jesus is the ONLY hope we have in trying to change our behavior. And Jesus says He places His hope in us: “But the Lord has taken you and brought you out of Egypt, to become a people of his very own possession, as you are now” (Deuteronomy 4:20).
Enjoy the anticipation of His birth – and be reminded that He is the reason we don’t have to look back.
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by Chelsea Mitchell. Chelsea is a freshman studying early childhood education at Wheelock College. New to the Boston area, she feels lucky to have found such a welcoming congregation with whom to worship.
{email Chelsea}.
| DO |
| Help someone who can’t or won’t help you in return. |
| PRAY |
| For the humility to accept help from others, especially when you are unable to repay them for their kindness. |
{open a printer-friendly PDF of this devotional}
