Humility and Community

To say that my life has been a whirlwind since my last post might be a bit overdramatic, but it has been a little busy. Moving is always stressful – and I always feel so burdened by all of the crap that I have. I was blessed to have the company and muscles of my mom, brother Pat, and O’pa – they were phenomenal. I’m officially unpacked and getting to know my little duplex. It’s old and a bit creaky – but we’re getting along just fine J I’ve been reading through some of the letters in the New Testament. It’s been neat to see how the Lord uses different authors with different backgrounds to share and facilitate in the same message. He’s so sovereign over His Word; it’s exciting to see how it all ties together. 1 Peter 5 was so convicting and encouraging that I had to read it twice… it’s always cool to see Jesus point His gracious finger on an area of my life that isn’t in tune with His heart, and then bring Scripture to my mind to reveal His point. For two weeks I hadn’t been able to sleep throughout the night… I saw 2am and 4am every night. I was frustrated and tired, but I just put up with it. I’d mention it to my mom, or to a friend, but did I bring it before the Lord first? No. I just figured eventually I’d get so tired that I would have to sleep through the night. 1 Peter 5:5-7 just kind of brought some truth and conviction.  “Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another and be clothed with humility, for ‘God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’ Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” I tend to either shoulder my care by myself, or turn to other things or people, before I present it before the Lord. There’s a whole lot of pride and stubbornness at the root of that tendency. I read this chapter the first time a couple mornings ago. That night, I’d mentioned my lack of sleep to a friend, who volunteered to pray over it, but it didn’t really occur to me to apply the passage to my own life and bring the issue before the Lord first. In frustration, I asked Jesus to help me sleep. I woke up 7 hours later for the first time in two weeks. As I was lying in bed, I could just hear Jesus’ voice calmly reminding me of the verses I had read the morning before. “I care about every detail of your life; I want you to come to me. I’m for you, and you can trust Me.” Walking in humility is incredibly difficult for me, so I love that Peter gives insight into how to do it, rather than just saying, “Hey guys – be humble!” Humility involves casting my cares – what I value, what consumes my thoughts, what I’m worried about or wrestling with, what I love, etc. upon the Lord. When I cast my care upon the Lord, I remove them from my shoulders, placing them into His hands, trusting that He cares for me. I’m no longer depending on myself to handle things, but I’m completely dependent upon Him. It puts me into a posture of humility, one that practically reminds me that God is God, and that I am not. It’s an admission that I can’t but He can. When He holds all of my care, then I have to trust that He’ll meet my needs and take care of me in the way that’s best for me. Peter goes on to talk about resisting Satan, referring to him as a “roaring lion, seeking whom He may devour.” (5:8) I love that in verse 9, God encourages us to “Resist him (Satan), steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.”  How often do I buy into the lie that I’m alone in my struggle with sin? I see the pretty, put-together-outside of other believers and miss the reality that our struggle with sin is universal. Believing the lie that I’m alone, or that my sin is too gross to let anyone into, isolates me in fellowship and makes me weak with shame. I think that’s why the Lord calls us to, “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much (James 5:16)” and why He calls us to “know” that we, as the body of Christ, experience the same sufferings. He knows better than we do how lions hunt the prey that’s weak and separated from their pack. It’s why He encourages us in Hebrews: “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:23-25)” Not only was I hit with the conviction of not coming to the Lord with my cares or concerns, but I was also convicted of not making fellowship or corporate worship with other believers a priority. Walking in humility is not only consistently turning to the Lord and trusting Him with every aspect of my life, but it’s also doing life with other believers, living in community and confession, encouraging one another and bearing each other’s burdens. I’m not going to lie, that’s not always a pretty or easy picture, but it’s so much better. We were not meant to do life alone – we’ve been called to so much more.   <3 a