We know that God opposes the proud (and arrogant) [but gives grace to the humble]. James 4:6. Charlotte from Charlotte's Web defines humble as "not proud; also, low to the ground."
On a Maundy Thursday processional (or was it recessional? some typa walk) this year I had this thought as I walked behind people who were taller than me. God can't have fellowship with pride because it is so opposite His nature. (Duh). But I realized that it's not to be mean that He insists His people be humble. It's not because He wants to manipulate us into a certain kind of behavior. To put it in terms we can understand, it's more like some natural law.
Just as tall people have to stoop to pass under low branches when the path takes them there, the proud must be humbled to be near to God and to do His work. Short (humble) people are already the right size for the tasks and responsibilities given us. Kingdom work can take you into some tight corners. Not everyone is equally cut out for it when we begin. Ego size definitely has to do with it, and a large ego is nothing but a terrible inconvenience that hinders progress.
An extension of this metaphor is that it is indeed possible to resist being humbled/ not bend over, but you're just going to be hit in the face again and again with branches until you begin to get it.
Love this blog. Love the ideas and the way they're articulated, and the heart and brain behind them. Good stuff.
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