ECHOaustin

A few years ago a movie called “The Rookie” came out.  It was about a broken down pitcher turned high school baseball coach who gets a 2^nd chance to relive his dream of being a major league pitcher.  There is a dramatic scene in the movie where he runs out on to the field of his 1st major league game.  They filmed this scene at the Ballpark in Arlington & I was there to watch the drama unfold.  There I was 20 rows up waving “my movie.”  I was sadly disappointed when I could barely make myself out. “What in the world, they cut me out!”  My dreams of being on the big screen didn’t pan out. 

Now obviously the movie wasn’t about me, but we often make the mistake of thinking that we’re the star.  That the story is about us as individuals.  I was in the crowd.  The movie isn’t about me.  And neither is life all about me.

The great Reformer John Calvin observed,

For so blindly do we all rush in the direction of self-love that everyone thinks he has a good reason for exalting himself and despising all others in comparison.… There is no other remedy than to pluck up by the roots those most noxious pests, self-love and love of victory.… (Institutes of the Christian Religion)

Humility is rooted in God’s grace, & grace flies in the face of our pride.

Humility is not falsely self deprecating; it isn’t putting yourself down so that others feel compelled to say nice things about you.  This is just fishing for compliments.  Humility is viewing ourselves in view of God’s mercy (Rom. 12).   It is keeping in our minds the greatness of God as you think about yourself.  

In Romans 12 Paul says that we are to think of ourselves soberly.  Many of us are intoxicated with ourselves, which means we can make rash decisions.  I hope that when I consider God’s mercy I will see myself not as the star of the show, but I would exist to make the star look good.