Seven Woes, part 3
Woe to us when we crave fame.
Do we possess the strength to be nothing?
May we speak honestly about the spiritualization of ambition in the church?
We daydream of greatness and call it being visionary.
We long to be publicly affirmed in the superlative and call it God’s favor.
We boast of opportunities and call it faith.
And in Philippians 2.6-9 we read that our beloved Savior:
~ though in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped (v.6)
~ made himself nothing (v.7)
~ took the very nature of a servant by being made in human likeness (v.7)
~ humbled himself (v.8)
~ became obedient to death on a cross (v.8)
~ and “therefore” was exalted by God (not by himself) (v.9)
This grace to be nothing, this ability to appear to be less in order to be able to do more, this is a Jesus-style strength that enables a generation to carry God’s power with purity and equips a soul to be undeterred by rejection and uncontaminated by praise.
We must seek it.
More than we can imagine rests upon it.
It’s a challenging day for those with God-given dreams and strengths.
On the one hand we’re encouraged to package our giftings in neon and market ourselves, to knock on doors and make our own way.
On the other hand we open our Bibles and hear wisdom from the ancients, “Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; someone else, and not your o
wn lips.” (Proverbs 27.2)
Passivity seems a poor steward.
Self-promotion a saboteur of souls.
Personally, the tension is at times dizzying. By nature, I lean toward passivity when it comes to sharing offerings. But then the Spirit reminds me that passivity is not a synonym for humility. I look to Jesus, and the example of Jesus’ cousin: John the Baptist.
John submitted to hiddenness for decades and when the time came for him to step into public service, he emerged from hiddenness with the strength to fuse authoritative visibility with Jesus-centric humility.
Safeguarding his powerful public presence was a deep inner commitment: “He must become greater, and I must become less.” (John 3.30) Less had become more for John.
Surely countless temptations tried John’s mind and spirit. But most strategies of darkness lose their power in the presence of a soul that values the strength to be nothing.
I am going through a period where it seems that God is asking me to be “nothing”. I have to confess that it isn’t easy, not because I seek to be praised, but because I have a real need to confirm my value. This is especially true when I understand that people are sacrificing for our ministry. I desire to be a good steward, and not be accused of laziness or taking advantage.
Then on itineration it seems as if selling yourself is required. There must be a way to balance. I’m tired of proving myself, my worth, of working harder and harder for fewer results, and feeling that I’m on a treadmill and I can’t get off.
Somewhere deep inside I feel like God is whispering that it doesn’t have to be that way. I can rest in Him. That I don’t have to perform to be used by Him.
Karla, thank you for bringing the message home. And thank you for hearing and struggling with God’s whisper “that it doesn’t have to be that way. I can rest in Him.” A performance-driven culture turns on that crazy treadmill. May God help us press the off button and create a rhythm that is sustainable–internally and externally.
I am move to tears at this post…even as an adult, these struggles are alive and well. Thank you for having the courage to write the truth in love. You summed it up well with the last phrase, “But most strategies of darkness lose their power in the presence of a soul that values the strength to be nothing.”
Jessica, yes, the struggle is real. And as I have the honor of watching friends in their 70s and 80s … I see that the challenge manifests later in life in more subtle yet still related forms as some wrestle with questions of significance and legacy. Looking forward, looking backwards–both can be aided by Jesus’ humble example of true strength.
Wow! This is a cry of my heart. You have written what I often feel but cannot always express. I came to Christ ten years ago and since then I’ve been surrounded by the next generation of leaders in His church. I am a Bible college grad and seminary student. My generation suffers from this plague. I find myself in a tug of war inwardly; wanting my peers to recognize that I too am called even though I’m in a season of preparation and hiddeness. It’s overwhelming to be around people with ambition and awesome leadership abilities, yet often feel the pressure to prove you’re calling. No one says it, but it’s always there; and subtly many of us feed this ungodly need to be recognized above our peers as more “spiritual” and gifted to serve God. I have seen peers go to great lengths to ‘know’ the right people and be rewarded for their efforts. It’s wrong, yet one can’t help wondering if they’re doing something wrong. Thank you for your words of godly wisdom. I pray I will be reminded of them when my own ambition tries to take over.
Esther, “this plague”, yes–contagious and spiritually life-threatening. I remember around 25 years ago having the opportunity to hear Loren Cunningham speak. I’ll paraphrase his wise words: “Live humbly. Lie low. Then when doors close you can just slide right under them and keep going.”
Just yesterday I wrote a post for my own blog for Monday using Proverbs 27:2 as the focal point. Seems the Lord is reminding me of the importance of allowing Him to steer and direct me. This issue of self-promotion and praise truly is a tension that those of us in ministry must manage with the help of the Spirit of Christ. Beautiful post. Lovely reminder of what it looks like to be Christ-like.
Oh, I love it when Jesus layers His Word over and over in our lives! Such a challenging theme in our day. Leah, you are spot on: “a tension those of us in ministry must manage with the help of the Spirit of Christ.” Amen.