Luke 14:11 (msg) What I’m saying is, if you walk around with your nose in the air, you’re going to end up flat on your face. But if you’re content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself. 

In the Greek translation it says, ‘for everyone exalting himself will be humbled…’

Why are we always trying to exalt ourselves and teaching our children to do the same by turning everything we teach our children into a competition? Coloring? Art? Music? Dance? Every Sport? Running? Ice Skating?… just to name a few.

Luke 6:20 God blesses you who are poor, for the Kingdom of God is yours. 

We were not created to exalt ourselves. God is God and continues to faithfully work through our brokenness. I will never deny that – but is that our goal? To just do what we want and then ask Jesus to make something good come from it? Don’t we want His plan – because He is Good and Sovereign and Loves us – and His plan will blow the doors off anything we could imagine? I’m not speaking to the world, but those who profess themselves as Christians. Exercise is amazing and exercising and adventuring with others can be amazing and absolutely glorifying to God, why must we muck it up with our human desire to be better or make our children better than others?

One of my favorite parables of Jesus’ lately is the one of the vineyard workers (Matthew 20:1-16) – I wrote about it not long ago. I love how He was not ashamed to pay the workers who had only worked 2 hours the same amount He paid the workers who had worked all day. He fulfilled what He promised all the workers. He’s not unfair, but our worth is not based on our gifts or blessings. We are simply asked to use the gifts He has given us to glorify God, to bring Light into a dark world, not exalt ourselves. I can only imagine how beautiful a world would be where we don’t constantly compare ourselves and base our worth off of those comparisons.

I want my children and those I am privileged to share life with to learn to LIVE knowing and resting in this truth.

Lord, give me the strength and courage to withstand the cultural current and Live for you. Amen.