Shedding a Little Light

“…you will be loved more than a giver of gifts...” “…you will find favor with God...” “…alms atone for sins.” Sirach3: 17-29

“…the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 14:14)

I want all those things, don’t you? I want to be loved and have favor with God. I want to atone for my sins and to be called higher. The price of these things is humility and that is not easy to do in the ambitious, self-absorbed world in which we live. To make ourselves less important seems counterintuitive in a world that worries so much about our self-esteem. Virtuous giving is also difficult when we cling to what we own and the money we have earned. The free sharing of these things, for which we have worked so hard, does not come easily for most and money and possessions often come with a sense of entitlement. These things can end up owning us if we are not careful.

It does not make any sense that one who is humble will be lifted to an elevated position of power and respect. But, exalted has another definition: “…a state of extreme happiness.” (Google) Now, that helps things make more sense. True happiness comes in following the Lord Jesus. When Jesus becomes what is most important in our lives, then we can shed our possessions and give them to whomever needs them. We become free of the world’s entanglements. We will be free to live in the light of Christ. If we can release our need to be “somebody” in the eyes of the world, then we can find favor in the eyes of God. I think that being in favor with God is the very definition of “extreme happiness,” and that is the state I want to live in!

In short, less is more. Rather than focusing on what we are losing, we can focus on the things we are gaining in the eyes of God. We give away the possessions and money we do not need and gain a humble and generous heart. We give up our time and gain patience and compassion. People need us and the time we can give to educate, feed them, cry with them, and love them. We can give away our words and compliment others and encourage them. We can let them know who they are and what they doing, it is so important that we could not do without them. We can lift them up in praise and in prayer.

Give anonymously. Leave notes of encouragement. Follow Jesus. Live in extreme happiness in the love and favor of God. And …

Keep Living in the Light

Bernie