Humility

As a small child, before I started school, I was extremely strong-willed and fiercely independent. I liked to be in charge and do things my way. As you can probably imagine, this got me in quite a bit of trouble and I spent a lot of time being grounded, getting spankings, or on time out. Then, I started first grade. As I have mentioned in previous blogs, I have ADHD and dyslexia so learning to read and writing was more challenging for me than most kids. Struggling in school changed everything. It pulled me back to earth and I became shy and insecure. I lost all sense of independence and pride and realized what experiencing failure truly meant.

Now if my story ended there it would be pretty depressing. Fortunately, God does not leave us to drown in our failure. He came down into the broken, dark place I was in and raised me up and gave me a new life and identity. My struggles in school may have caused me pain but they drew me to Christ. Without them, I wouldn’t have seen my need for him and would have kept on trying to live life my own way with my own roles. Our pain and failures open our eyes to our need for God.

A great example of this is found in the book of Acts in the Bible. During the time of the early church right after Jesus was raised from the dead and ascended into heaven, there was a man named Saul. He was a Pharisee or a religious leader of the Jews, and like most Pharisees, he did not like Jesus or anyone who followed him. He hated them so much that he had Christians killed or thrown in prison for their faith. In chapter 9 of the book of Acts, it says that “Saul was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord’s followers. So he went to the high priest. He requested letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, asking for their cooperation in the arrest of any followers of the Way he found there. He wanted to bring both men and women back to Jerusalem in chains.

“As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?’

“‘Who are you, Lord?’ Saul asked. And the voice replied, ‘I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting! Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.’

“The men with Saul stood speechless, for they heard the sound of someone’s voice but saw no one! Saul picked himself up off the ground, but when he opened his eyes he was blind. So his companions led him by the hands to Damascus. He remained there blind for three days and did not eat or drink.

“Now there was a believer in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision, calling, ‘Ananias!’

“‘Yes, Lord’ he replied.

“The Lord said, ‘Go over to Straight Street, to the house of Judas. When you get there, ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is praying to me right now. I have shown him a vision of a man named Ananias coming in and laying hands on him so he can see again.’

“‘But Lord,’ exclaimed Ananias, ‘I’ve heard many people talk about the terrible things this man has done to the believers in Jerusalem! And he is authorized by the leading priests to arrest everyone who calls upon your name.’

“But the Lord said, ‘Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel. And I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake.’

“So Ananias went and found Saul. He laid his hands on him and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road, has sent me so that you might regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.’ Instantly something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized. Afterward, he ate some food and regained his strength,” (Acts 9: 1 - 19). Before he was knocked off his feet and blinded on the road to Damascus, Saul was ruling his own life. He was too proud to see his need for Jesus, in fact, he hated him and sought to destroy all his followers. God humbled him so that he could see his need for him. He doesn’t let us experience pain and failure to punish us but rather to draw us to him so that we can experience his hope and life. He also doesn’t leave us in our brokenness. When we turn to him, he heals us and enables us to do what he created us to do. After Saul became a follower of Christ, he began traveling and preaching all around the world about Christ. He was the first Apostle to bring the gospel to the Gentiles ( non-Jewish people) and he wrote eight books in the New Testament of the Bible. God wants to enable us to do great things but we have to let him humble and change us first.

If you have any questions or would like to learn more about The C.A.N Sisters’ Ministry, Leave a comment below, check out our website, or email us at cansistersministry@gmail.com.