Three Elements

serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials which came upon me through the plots of the Jews;

Acts 20:19

Humility has three elements. We are finite, broken and gifted. Each of these areas has it’s own emotions, views of life and expressions that we must be aware of and deal with appropriately. 

The hard part is that they often cannot be neatly separated out and defined independent of the others. This causes heartache, struggle, lack of understanding and often expresses itself in deep frustration, even to the point of depression in some.  

We want these three things clear, ordered, structured and within our power. We want life on our terms so that we don’t have to struggle with just being alive. We want clear definitions and if we don’t get it, we are tempted to sweep it all under the rug and pretend everything is great. 

It is not a problem to be solved once and for all, but a dilemma, wrapped in a paradox, with moments of mystery seen vaguely as a puzzle. There is a picture that is offered us but we don’t like it because we have to grow into, through and bear the mess of it all as we grow up. The answer is the life of Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit.  

Life in this world is learning to be curious when we don’t know, repenting when we see our brokenness and wise in the use of our abilities knowing that God has something to give through us being made in His image. We get grace in our humility for all three areas, that is what God offers us in Jesus and the life that will overcome the world. 

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