who for the joy

Tonight house church was like a water for my parched soul. It was a sweet time of fellowship.
We talked about humility. I was curious, so I looked it up, and the root comes from "humus" -Latin--soil, earth, dirt. From the etymology dictionary:

humble (adj.)

c.1250, from O.Fr. humble, earlier humele, from L. humilis "lowly, humble," lit. "on the ground," from humus "earth." Senses of "not self-asserting" and "of low birth or rank" were both in M.E. The verb is c.1380 in the intrans. sense of "to render oneself humble;" 1484 in the trans. sense of "to lower (someone) in dignity."

Some thoughts on humility. For me, it keeps coming back to identity: Humility is based in knowing who you are, how you got here.

We are of the earth, we are the miracle of formed and breathed-into dirt.

The miracle of man is God's breath, God's artistry. From Genesis 2:6:7 "--the LORD God formed the man(the Hebrew for man (adam) sounds like and may be related to the Hebrew for ground (adamah) it is also the name Adam (see Gen. 2:20).) from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being."

Philippians 2 talks about Jesus' humility--that in spite of the fact that he was part of the design team that came up with and breathed into the people who mocked, scorned and humiliated him, he chose for the sake of love (of the very ones he molded and gave life-breath) to suffer scorn and death (See Philippians 2:5-11).

For Jesus, the identity, humility, joy and purpose were all inextricably tied together. He knew his glory and true identity as God's son--he was beloved, chosen; his life had a definite purpose. Hebrews 12 says he scorned the shame of the cross for the joy set before him: to sit at the right hand of the Father. Purpose to save in love the creation who rebelled and despised and chose their own way; who, in reality, chose to become painfully aware of (and until reconciled, live in denial of) the separation that they created by attempting to take glory for themselves that was not God-bestowed.

And for us? We realize our own nakedness and feel ashamed. Doesn't this just about sum up all of our falsely proud moments? It gives explanation (not excuse) to our self-defences, our ridiculous forays into idolatry that leave us wishing we'd filled up with the Holy Spirit instead; wishing we remembered more often where we came from, how we got here, our origins of dirt and God breath.

Learning humility: in spite of what we try to prove to ourselves and others, apart from him we are nothing and possess nothing. I learn to beseech mercy.

This is the hope set before us: To no longer be subject to the awful curse, to the dim glass, to the losing of heart in seeing who we truly are in the light of Glory (without the blood to shield and cover).

The freedom and joy of knowing we are the intricate mud pies (down to the individual cells designed, the fingerprints bestowed, the innermost thoughts and desires known) of God, and that he wants us to just come back to him and admit we've botched it all up, preferrably with our empty, dirty hands outstretched.

What strange miracles we believe in. Sometimes it all still baffles me in a good way.

Take heart, he reminds us, in this world you will have troubles, but I have overcome (John 16). Do not fear, he tells us, I have redeemed you. I have summoned you by name. You are mine (Isaiah 43).