{"id":6512,"date":"2024-12-04T00:01:11","date_gmt":"2024-12-04T00:01:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/livingtheadventure.net\/?p=6512"},"modified":"2024-12-18T00:02:15","modified_gmt":"2024-12-18T00:02:15","slug":"advent-humility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/livingtheadventure.net\/?p=6512","title":{"rendered":"Advent: Humility"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cfor he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Luke 1:48<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pride and individualism seek to place oneself above anyone or anything else as the only purveyor of truth in a person\u2019s life. When we witness the power of individualism in our culture, it moves us away from a team mentality or unity to a place of divisiveness and self-serving attitudes. We are unable to experience the fullness of life because in our pride, we miss out on deeper relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the book Finding Calcutta<\/em>, the author writes about Mother Teresa:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet Mother\u2019s life reveals that the more yielded we are to God, the more clearly we will grasp our calling. The more we empty our focus on ourselves, the more he can fill us. Mother Teresa said that \u2018humility is nothing but the truth\u2019 and that accepting humiliation is the \u2018surest way to be one with God\u2026Humiliation because we know we have nothing in ourselves. You see what God has done. I think God is wanting to show His greatness by using our nothingness\u2019<\/em> (Poplin, Mary. Finding Calcutta<\/em>, 34).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Humility requires surrender. We see this in Philippians 2:6-8, \u201cWho, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death\u2014even death on a cross!<\/em>\u201d (NIV).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mary had to surrender her life, as did Joseph, when the angels came to announce what the Holy Spirit was doing inside Mary. We can jump through the story quickly, eluding the emotions, struggles, and uncertainties. We can miss the life-decisions being made and the possible problems this new reality brought to Mary and Joseph. The first surrender is in the form of trust: trust that God is at work and trust that God will always be with them. The next surrender is when they relinquish their plans for their lives (i.e. have a wedding, consummate the marriage, and have children) to follow God\u2019s greater plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We see Mary\u2019s surrender in Luke 1:38, \u201c\u2019I am the Lord\u2019s servant,\u2019 Mary answered. \u2018May your word to me be fulfilled.\u2019 Then the angel left her.<\/em>\u201d She was unsure as to how this would all work out. She had already asked how she could be pregnant, though she is a virgin. The angel\u2019s response must be sufficient along with her trust in the Lord for her life that she is willing to surrender to God\u2019s plan for her life. There were many other options that would be more comfortable, more acceptable, and require fewer questions. Yet, in Mary\u2019s humility, she surrendered to the Lord\u2019s plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During this Advent season, we can learn a lot about humility and surrender in our lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n