(2 minute read) 10 year old Cody looked at the game in my hand and said, “No, this is pretty janky.”  The expression on his face told me that ‘janky’ is kind of not good, bad & undesirable. I’ve never heard this word before, but thank you Cody for introducing it to me.

The point is, new words and new terms ‘enter’ our culture and become mainstream. One new term slowly creeping into mainstream, in my opinion, is ‘it’s not illegal!’

‘It’s not illegal’ is a measure of an action, that’s the only applicable use of this term.

“Hey Carl, guess what, I needed to hire someone and I’ve been paying $22 an hour for this position. Simon interviewed for it, and actually he is a great and excellent candidate. I would have paid even higher than $22 an hour to get him. He made the mistake of telling me how desperate he is for a job as his family’s been struggling for months with him on unemployment. So I offered him $19 an hour and he accepted it. I saved big time man! Isn’t it great?”

Carl responded, “Well, it’s not illegal, and Simon accepted, so I guess it’s OK.”

Hope that you see that the term ‘It’s Not Illegal” dilutes, weakens, thins-out our cultural values for;

HONOR, CHIVALRY, BRAVERY, DECENCY, INTEGRITY,
GRACIOUSNESS, POLITENESS, HONESTY ………

Please think with me as to how would you use this term ‘it’s not illegal’ to benefit others, so I encourage you to think twice whenever you hear this term ‘it’s not illegal’.

My God and my Creator, legalism is something You addressed, talked about and preached on over and over again when You visited this Earth. Simply teaching us that it is not about holding up the Book to determine what is legal or what is illegal. Rather, we should search our hearts and do what You deem ‘Honorable’ ‘Decent’ ‘Honest’ ‘Sincere’ ‘Virtuous’ ‘Gracious’ as such attributes benefit others, my neighbor, rather than focusing on benefiting me. May we be able to apply these standards more and more in our daily lives and not be attracted by the benefits brought by the ‘it’s not illegal’ actions. Thank You my Lord for continuing to show Your Grace Your Sincerity Your Chivalry dealing with me daily. Amen.

(a 2 minute read) Eric was recalling to his friend Nathan. I was at a conference and this, this gorgeous young lady took a liking to me. The whole day, wherever I sat or hung out she was there. She pumped me up and laughed the loudest at my jokes. She praised my thoughts and attitude about life. I kept flashing my wedding ring, but there was no difference. When the night fell, I almost had no choice. I blame this all on her man. I felt helpless, it’s like she was Satan. I am ashamed of myself Nathan!

Nathan compassionately said;
“You are giving all the credit of this to her Eric. If blaming her makes
you better absolve yourself then I do not know what to say my friend.”

When you are at a restaurant, you hear noise but do not comprehend the words around you? This is the ‘path’ symbolizing Satan picking up the ‘seeds’ before you can make use of them.

The ‘Path’ is a ‘ground’ where Satan is attributed to blocking you from hearing.

Honestly; what do you believe about the next 2 types; the rocky and the thorny grounds?

Does Satan, on the rocky ground prevent one from taking root?

Does Satan, on the thorny ground choke one with tribulations so you are not able to produce fruit?

Actually the Bible is clear.
Satan is ONLY attributed for the ‘Path’…….. and is not ‘blamed’ for the other two.

Why don’t I take root on the rocky ground? It’s because of me.

Why do I get suffocated by thorns? It’s because of me.

Do you see my friend? We’ve been trained to place too much blame on Satan as it does indeed help us absolve ourselves.

The problem is;   Absolution is not for me to conduct, but we do that;
Why am I so concerned about absolving MYSELF!!   and indeed we are.

It is ONLY when we stop WORRYING about ‘SELF’ that we can truly grow roots.

We all believe we have strong roots yet statistics show otherwise.

Are we absolving ourselves of the responsibility!!??

My Creator and my Maker. My Lord. Oh what will it take for me to un-selfie me and spread pictures of You in my mind. It is hard and it is a choice. Paying attention to Your presence in EVERYTHING i encounter ought to help me focus on You and not on me. It ought to. May i pursue focusing on You as in SEEING You in EVERYTHING more than talking about You in everything. That’s my prayer. Amen.

(a 2 minute read) Sometimes you stumble upon something and it kind of slaps you across the face. This is what happened to me when I looked up the definition of the word blaspheme. We all have been taught and know this definition very well and a simple one is; to speak irreverently about God or sacred things.

Did you know that the English word comes from the Greek ’blasphémia’?

Do you know what the definition of the Greek is?

When one is SLOW to call something good that is really good,
or when one is SLOW to call something bad that is really bad.

Considering this definition, am I blaspheming in today’s culture and in today’s environment a bazillion times a day?

Has my ‘Yes’  no longer become ‘Yes’ and my ‘no’ no longer become ‘no’!?

Do not be quick to point the finger!!

The intent here is to look inwardly and examine. Look inwardly and assess!

Am I slow in calling something bad when it is really bad, am I slow in calling something good when it is really good. If the answer is yes…………. Please take action to correct the course.

My Lord and my God, may my fellow brothers and sisters forgive me for blaspheming against them as it has and continues to happen. Shrugging it to being human is just that, shrugging it. May i work harder in making my ‘yes’ yes, and my ‘no’ no, and not fall into the pit of peer pressure or fitting in. Oh how patient and wonderful You are my maker. Thank You and i love You for loving me so so so much.

 

Strong’s 988: blasphēmía (from blax, “sluggish/slow,” and 5345 /phḗmē, “reputation, fame”) – blasphemy – literally, slow (sluggish) to call something good (that really is good) – and slow to identify what is truly bad (that really is evil).

Strong’s 989: blasphemos   Slanderous, evil speaking.

Strong’s 987: blasphemeo   Slanderous; to speak evil against, blaspheme, use abusive or scurrilous language about (God or men)

English definition of Slander; it is the action of making a false spoken statement damaging to a person’s reputation.

(a 2 minute read) Ask those around me, and they’ll vouch that I am recycler. I go out of my way to point out that there is a recycling container. I probably annoy many when I reach into the trash to pick up a recyclable item and place it into the recycling container. So in my own eyes and the eyes of those around me, I am a devout recycler.

But am I really?

Driving last night, I saw a billboard; Main Recycling Points; Make sure it is empty, clean, and dry.

Why is a recycling company spending big bucks on this billboard??

I can only imagine that I, a devout recycler, am not getting the items to them in a usable fashion.

In other words, what I’ve been doing is pointless.

In other words, it’s like I tossed the recyclables into the trash instead of the recycling bin.

No, no, wait. I am religiously meticulously and solemnly doing this recycling thing. No way it’s pointless. ‘They’ must be benefiting from it. ‘They’ must have a way to clean these items that I’ve dutifully and faithfully separated out.

Folks, this is just like; Lord, Lord haven’t we done all that you asked…… and Jesus replies; I never knew you.

Is my faith one of the following?

• Am I religiously tossing recycling items into the recycling bins
• Am I sometimes tossing recycling items into the bin
• Am I only tossing items while in the company of others into the recycling bin

Am I thinking;
Seriously, Who’s washing, cleaning and drying a recyclable item!!

Am I thinking;
Come on man, those items help even if I am only doing it in the
company of others!!

Hmmmmmmmm

My Lord, this sounds harsh but only because it is true. May i not do what makes me feel that i am doing ‘enough’, for we all know there ain’t such a thing as enough, yet we continue to feel that we’re doing enough. May You lead me to the; it is fulfilling for ‘them’ and not the; it is fulfilling for ‘me’. Thank You my Creator for Your continual persistence. Amen.

(a 3 minute read) I know it seems like I have overstretched this thing about Humility. This is the 9^th but last post on it. Probably not forever 😀 but at least for now. This is not a recap, but a conclusion. How about an opinion instead of a conclusion. The most fantastic revelation here is that nothing here is new. Then why say it? Right?

It is because I, for one, need to be reminded constantly of the things I do not want to be reminded about. I need to continually nag me 😀
Hmm, how about I need to be persistent in order to achieve?

But I am breaking myself down, as in lowering my self-esteem a tiny bit at a time, every time I remind myself that I am NOT measuring up!!          It makes me feel INSECURE!

Hope that I have been able to demonstrate in the last 8 posts that Humility is all about high Self-Confidence and high Self-Esteem. I believe one time described it as “STRENGTH & POWER-Unexercised”.

The record for a 50-meter Dash, according to the Guinness Book of Records is 5.56 seconds. I tried it myself and my time was 10.27 seconds. “I suck”, right!?

Come on, let me hear you, yes you the reader say it, come on now!!!

Hope that many said something like, “Reda, although you’ll never do 5.56 seconds, you have PLENTY room for improvement.”

Therefore, GONE IS the “I SUCK” the “I AM INSECURE” the “I’LL NEVER MEASURE UP”

AND WELCOME IS; the “I CAN DO A BIT BETTER AS I PRACTICE” the “Confidence in improvement” the “boost to the self-esteem”.

That’s it in a nut shell.

You can either SUCK or be the WORLD record holder and hold onto EXTREMES!

OR

Where am I on the YARD-STICK and how can I improve it?

To seek to improve requires SELF-CONFIDENCE AND
SELF-ASSURANCE, STRENGTH and POWER.

So in conclusion, please dismiss expel reject and banish the definitions of Humility as meek timid and self-effacing. Sadly such words, to us, refer to a person that lacks courage, goes along with others opinions, and if we are honest with ourselves, WHO THEN WANTS TO BE HUMBLE!?

In conclusion, let us adopt definitions of Humility that indicate

• I know that I am at 10.27 seconds                              ACCEPTANCE/ADMISSION
• I recognize that I will never be at 5.56 seconds              HUMILITY
• But how about getting to 9.99 seconds                                    PERSISTENCE

That’ll take much practice so let me start practicing NOW. When I achieve 9.99 seconds, then let me try to get to 9.77 seconds and so on and so on, never forgetting that I ain’t never gonna make 5.56 to humble myself NOT beat myself down.

Do you sense the dedication, do you sense the stamina? How about the confidence in yourself, to do what?        To achieve!

Life is a continual series of 50-meter dashes.

Keep improving

If you slip back in some of these dashes

Know where you got to

And get back there again

It is not about who’s winning rather if you’re participating in the 50-meter dashes of life.

You see, nothing is new. You’ve heard it before many a time.

Why haven’t you started then??

I read this a few days ago;

“Don’t invite us here to just tell us how inspiring we are without actually doing anything about it.” Greta Thunberg a 16 year old environmental activist speaking to US politicians this week.

She is 16 years old! I am inspired by her, I am. But am I going to stop there or follow the model she’s prescribing? What’s that model?          What am I DOING about it!

Now that you are reminded as to what Humility may look like,
what are you DOING about it?

It works, if you work it, so work it

Thank You my Creator and my Lord for reminding me. Amen.

(a 4 minute read) So I have a beard that forms a specific shape that is different. Kind of like the beard on the Head Game-maker from the original Hunger game 😀   No, no, not like that, but I’d like to think that in some way it is distinctive.

Although I have had it in this same form for ions, it seems, I have to pay attention when I shave so that it does not get messed up.  But it seems natural to do so and not time consuming. I tell myself that I am not thinking about it as I shave. I continue to tell myself that my hand just flows in certain directions and voila there it is. One time a new acquaintance asked me how long does it take me to shave? I actually felt a bit uneasy, and my response was “I do not even think about it when I do it!”

That was a lie. Why am I trying to justify this? Is there something wrong in doing something to look distinctive? If you ask my wife, she’d tell you I look distinctive alright the way I match my clothes 😀   No, seriously, what’s wrong with that??

When someone does something to appear distinctive unique attractive nice-looking cute appealing pleasant striking or eye-catching it is an effort to raise one’s self-esteem! Correct?

Let me put it this way; If I have a pimple zit blemish on my face, I find myself continually checking it out. Is it better?? Is it worse??             Why do I do that??

To look distinctive or check a zit, that’s not Vanity, is it??

To answer this question, let’s use a yard-stick method. Today’s Yard-Stick is from
Vanity @1 to HIA (Humility-In-Appearance) @10.

Let’s define HIA. As Jesus walks by a pond, not even a thought crosses his mind to check out his reflection. Please do not check out of this conversation just cause I used Jesus as an example.

But that’s Jesus!……….. But that’s why it’s a 10 on the Yard-Stick!

Back to the question; To look distinctive or check a zit, that’s not Vanity, is it??

From my perspective, I will say it is not Vanity @1 but possibly Self-absorbed @2…….

I dot dot dot because in my mind I just went no, no, no way…… Me shaving this way is @2 on the vanity scale!!! My next thought right now is; then I will shave it………..
If I do, then I’ve just checked one thing off and now I am OK……….
No more Vanity…………

But is that what it is??

I think it goes one step further!

Not sure if you remember the term ‘Resistance Is Futile’. In case you do not, it is from Star Trek. The follow up to ‘Resistance is Futile’ is the ominous
‘You will be ASSIMILATED’.

I have been assimilated into accepting that My Vanity is NOT REALLY VANITY………….. and worse yet; “I do believe that resistance in this matter is futile”, so I have come to truly believe within my inner being that;
MY vanities are NOT REAL vanities…………

Me, you and the other person tend to just want to check stuff off. It is one way or the other. This is Vanity or this is NOT Vanity, and it is over. IT IS EASY this way.
No Headaches. Talking about Yard-Sticks is laden with headaches.

Is Self-Absorbed @2 and Self-Centered @3 or is it the other way around!?

Then I get trapped into the SCALING of the Yard-Stick and not freed by the Yard-Stick PRINCIPAL.

Synonyms;

Vanity Conceit Selfish Arrogance Self-Seeking Pride Egotism Self-Absorbed

and additional synonyms are;

Snobbery Smugness Self-Importance Superiority

Yes, it takes more thought, headachy if you may, but the FREEDOM from you are;
EITHER – OR – and Nothing in between, is debilitating!

To move closer and closer to #4, whatever you want to label #4, on the scale of HIA,
I first need to believe that it is a Yard-Stick and not an Either-Or.

When I start using a Yard-Stick PRINCIPAL in all matters of LIFE, then I am starting to inch closer to HUMILITY in ALL MATTERS and not just Humility-In-Appearance.

My Lord and my Maker, guide me to examine my life. Not to jump into removing some vanities and just check things off. Rather take a moment and admit to myself; “Hmmm, yes, this is vanity.” Then “Hmmm, yes, that is vanity.” This will then help me to look for the Yard-Stick PRINCIPAL and hope to inch my way a small bit here and a small bit there. All along knowing that You are by my side, NOT judging me rather holding me up and proud of my attempts. Also, may this Yard-Stick help me be more and more accepting of OTHERS as they, just like me are somewhere on this Yard-Stick and not at either END. i love You and am so very thankful for Your sensed presence my Creator. Amen.

(a 4 minute read) Cody and Bailey deep in discussion about who’s on 1^st, what’s on 2^nd. They were belly giggling that they are using this skit as a metaphor for their discussion. It was hilarious and sobering all at the same time.

Bailey:   Look if I do not place myself 1^st then I must be on 2^nd or even 3^rd for that matter! Right?

Cody:    The who’s on 1^st metaphor is so applicable when we’re trying to identify what comes 2^nd. Much of Humility fulcrums on coming 2^nd, and if I am on 2^nd, then someone else is on 1^st!!

Bailey:   I’d say it is pretty much just like that

Cody:    That’s what I used to think but I’ve come to discover that NOT coming 1^st has nothing to do with placing myself second, with emphasis on ‘placing’

Bailey:   It is hard enough to NOT place ME 1^st and you’re now telling me there is more!!

Cody:    I am saying there is a difference that is crucial if one wants to grasp understand even recognize humility

Bailey:   You’d better explain as I am already lost

Although Bailey was about to check out of this conversation, Cody’s leaning into the table and excitement pulled Bailey back into it

Cody:    OK OK, let me see if I can do this. “ME 1^st” is about being selfish so here’s a 1-10 yard stick of Selfish on one end and Mother Teresa Sacrificial (MTS) on the other end;

Selfish  ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___   MTS
1     2    3    4     5    6    7     8   9   10

So if I am not selfish, guess what, I have jumped off the 1^st position and now I am on the 2^nd. How about we identify #2 as “ungenerous”. Now keep in mind there is still
3, 4, 5………. and so on

Bailey jumped in; “I ain’t never gonna be a mother Teresa!

Cody:    Me neither my friend, me neither. Ever! But does that mean I am satisfied with “ungenerous”!? Would you?

Bailey timidly bashfully and reserved replied, “I see the point you are trying to make!”

Cody:    So let’s say #4 is “mindful of others”. I think this is like “considerate” of others. That would be the first step in PLACING ONESELF 2^nd.

Bailey:   I’d say I am a considerate person!!

Cody loving on Bailey smiled and reaching out across the table
placed an arm on Bailey’s shoulder and said;

I used to think that of myself then I asked myself the following questions;

If I am rushing into a place to meet a friend, am I aware of the next person also
rushing in?
And if I am, do I consider them and open the door to allow them in before me?

Turning right; am I signaling just cause, or am I looking in the rear view mirror                  to consider how  far the person behind me is and what’s ‘good’ for them to                            realize that I will turn soon?

If I am in a line and the person in front of meet is chit chatting with the cashier                  as they check out and taking too long, do I making a “can you believe that                              person” to the cashier when it’s my turn, or do I smile kindly to the cashier and                  maybe say something like; “That was adorable”.

Bailey:   STOP STOP you call these being considerate at #4!? That’s a lot of work Cody!!

Cody:    Indeed it is and without WORK THOUGHT CONSIDERATION we remain at #2 “ungenerous” and it is for sure NOT selfish, but I know you Bailey, and I know you want to be better than “ungenerous”

Bailey:   You are killing me Cody …….. This nudge feels like an annoying
shallow almost stabbing Cody……

Cody chuckled loudly knowing full well that Bailey is getting it

Cody:    My dear Bailey, we always hear that it is about the JOURNEY and not the DESTINATION. We both know we ain’t gonna be Mother Teresa but that knowledge should empower enable aid and support us as we JOURNEY on to become #4!!!
OR EVEN BETTER 🙂

My God and my Creator, i ask that i never settle on position #2 or #3 on that Yard Stick from Selfish to MTS. i pray to remind myself that accepting #2 is to SETTLE at “I am not selfish”. Rather to JOURNEY is what i need to do. JOURNEYING takes work, and the motto “It works if you work it, then work it” is the mantra that i keep hearing You whisper to me. May i be strong enough confident enough assertive enough resilient enough and insistent enough to JOURNEY on and on and on. May i remind myself that You are emphasizing that these attributes listed above are key to be humble enough to examine where i am at, and PLACE myself second over and over again throughout each day that I live. i love You and thank You my loving Maker for Your patience and Your steadfastness in trying to hold me up as i JUORNEY. Amen.

(a 4 minute read) Let me tell you why you are incorrect; Them are fighting words. Do you know in how many ways one can deliver this message of “Let me tell you why you are incorrect!?”  We can do it with an insinuation an action some words a look an attitude with even a simple gesture.

The question is not how to deliver it better, the question is why even have that that that whatever you want to call it ‘drive’ maybe, to deliver this message?

Well, it’s obvious why I would!

I am not going to listen to what you are saying, while I believe the opposite and let you keep going without correcting you!!
Then, it’s your turn to tell me why I am incorrect………

Please read the above paragraph one more time. Isn’t this exactly what we have happening day in and day out especially on social media…………

At the same time, most people express that they are sick and tired of the polarization………….

“Hey Reda, are you saying I should stop expressing my opinion!!??”

No, no that is not what I am saying, but hold onto that thought for a minute and we’ll get back to it.

Mother Teresa offered some tips on Humility and here are two of them;

“Give-in into discussions even if you are right”

“Accept censures even if unmerited”

You wait a minute Reda!! You’ve been saying that Humility is all about Self-Confidence and Strength then offer these two attributes from Mother Teresa about Humility!!
What gives man!?

OK, here it is; When someone offers their opinion, we’ve been trained to think of ourselves…………. of ME….

To not respond to such opinion, we’ve been trained to take it as an admission of;
ME is WRONG.

It hurts to FEEL wrong………….. Therefore I respond with my differing opinion

So what do ME need to do?

So 1^st I need not focus on ME because I am Strong and Confident

2^nd therefore Me is not HURT

3^rd Me has no reason to RESPOND

4^th A “hmm” or a kind “I see where you stand” is sufficient

5^th Wow……….. I have placed myself SECOND

A response of “I see where you’re coming from” or the like is not submission is not self-deprecation is not DEFEAT………….. IT IS NOT.

Placing yourself SECOND is not APPROVAL to the opinion you just heard,

It is RISING ABOVE THE OCCASION

I BELIEVE THAT”S WHERE MOTHER TERESA IS COMING FROM

Go and think back and think to ONE TIME that you saw someone in a back and forth of
“let me tell you why you are incorrect”
that ended up in one telling the opposing one, “I now agree with you”!

As I do not believe in NEVER, how about the answer is “extremely SELDOM!”

Yet, there is one KEY ASPECT that feeds us;

Each debater FEELS GOOD ABOUT THEMSELVES
AND ACKNOWLEDGES that the other one is an ASS
AND THAT FEELS GOOD MY FRIEND

Isn’t it time to end this vicious cycle of polarization??

How?

HUMILITY my friend, HUMILITY

I told you we’ll get back to the question it in a minute 🙂

The question was, “Hey Reda, are you saying I should stop expressing my opinion!!??”

The answer is, “Absolutely express your opinion…………. Humbly!”

A few examples on how that may look like;

• If you are starting the opinion ladder, state your opinion and emphasize “OPINION” and stay far far away from indignation during stating. If you receive an opposing opinion back, you can say something like “I guess we have differing opinions and that’s OK”, and smile.
• If coming into the opinion ladder, you can state something like “I happen to disagree but we’ll probably butt heads and I’d rather we do not”, and smile.
• If and when you FEEL your blood is boiling at the OPINION you just heard, say this to yourself, ”This is not about ME and what I think.” This statement to yourself just placed ME second to the one speaking……………… A JEWEL in training oneself to be HUMBLE.

Another JEWEL in Humility is,
“It is the one in the mirror that can IMPACT a change in the status quo.”
SO START WITH ME TO ULTIMATELY END POLARIZATION IN OUR SOCIETY

Hope you recognize that the focus here was on HUMILITY and not polarization 🙂

My Lord, i say i seek You and it is hard to seek You as it takes work. May this work be approached with passion and love and therefore is no longer work, as said by St. Teresa of Avila. That’s hard my Creator but it is what You ask of me, that’s for sure. May i continue to seek and most of all accept and apply what You are laying in front of me. May i not walk around or ignore what You lay in front of me. i thank You and i love You my Maker. Amen.

(a 3 minute read) An apartment complex is caught on fire, and crowds are beginning to gather. Christian with Haley and Jess, two young daughters, are among the crowd. No fire trucks, cops or ambulances have made it to the scene yet. You can clearly hear a call for help coming from within.

Christian, bent at the knees, kisses and squeezes the girls tightly, and as Christian stands, gazes into Jess and Haley’s eyes with a look of deep love and a sentence never uttered;
“I have to do this. I have to try and save them. Forgive me.”  Christian looks at the closest person, and without waiting for a reply says, “Please watch out for them.”

You can imagine the reaction of those in the crowd that watch Christian rush into the building. You can hear the murmurs; “Must be an off duty cop”. “A marine for sure”, “Look at the two young girls”, “This is crazy”, “Who would do such a thing”.

As you hear a fire truck in the distance, Christian emerges carrying a child and a young woman following.

Do you hear the cheers? Do you have chills crawling up your arms?

There was euphoria indescribable.

A local TV station makes it to the scene and people describe what they saw, calling Christian a hero.

The TV reporter interviews Christian;

“What is your profession?”

“I am an accountant”

“People are calling you a hero for what you’ve done”

“I believe anyone would have or should have done what I did. I am not a hero.”

“You are a hero and a humble person too”

Christian began to explain;

Sometimes we use the label ‘hero’ to describe an act that we wish we would do ourselves but know that probably we would not do. It absolves one from the duty we have as a human being. It is easy to say “Oh that’s a heroic act. I do not need to be a hero. Therefore, there is no prodding to carry out that act.” You used a good word ‘HUMBLE’. Humility is not in rejecting the label ‘hero’. HUMILITY is in the knowledge that the consideration of my life is not glorified. C.S. Lewis said it best; “True humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less.”

Therefore, taking ‘me’ out of the equation, and placing the people in the building as the equation, the action becomes a duty a responsibility an obligation a calling if you may.

There is no heroic act really. It may hurt to hear this but necessary; you and I have to change from

“Look, Look, WOW this is heroic”

To

“Why didn’t I do that myself?”

Christian proceeded; I urge my brothers and sisters not to wait for a fire to see if they will do what we term a ‘heroic’ act. You and you and you have a chance to do a ‘heroic’ act every single day, multiple times.       JUST DO IT……………. It is mine and yours CALLING.   EVERYDAY.

One day, hopefully, the term ‘heroic’ or better yet the feeling the contemplation the consideration the thought of ‘this is heroic’ will not exist as it becomes a commonality.

Christian stared into the camera and said;

“Wouldn’t that be marvelous?”   As Christian continued to gaze into the camera;
“If you are thinking to yourself this is utopic this is dreamland this is too ideal, then you have already refused the consideration of you coming second!”

My Lord, may i humble myself in a true fashion. To accept that ‘me’ truly comes SECOND and THIRD. TRULY. i do not want to just say that ‘me’ does not come FIRST, i truly want You to teach me how to remove the consideration of me first from the equation of life. Guide me, teach me and open my eyes my loving Creator and Maker. Amen.

(a 4 minute read) So this is not the conclusion on HUMILITY but just a revelation during this exploration. I personally love AHA moments, they are exciting adrenaline-charged exhilarating thrilling, well maybe I am going overboard, but that’s part of the excitement. Hope you will sense some of these as you come along side me.

Let’s start from a familiar point of view. Raising kids;
what’s one of the best pieces of advice you can give them?

“Always strive to better yourself. Put in the work necessary. Do NOT become complacent. Do NOT become dormant.” And so on.

If we talk business, a company that is not seeking to improve itself, can slide down, especially companies that are on top of the game.

If you are not growing, you are shrinking. Why? Because a Plateau, no matter how long, is not a healthy place to be. Kind of like ‘Do NOT become complacent’ advise to children.

So this is the point of brutal HONESTY with oneself ………….

Do you feel and find yourself at a point where you can look at yourself in your journey of faith and think to yourself;

“I am in a good place!”       “I am at a better point than I ever have been”                                “I am content as to what I have become!”                            “I am so much better than MANY around me!”

Please please please, Put aside the knee jerk reaction responses such as;

“I am a sinner and need to always better myself!”                     “No one is perfect, of course I have more to learn!”

For some reason, a question about our FAITH journey elicits a guttural reaction of “Someone is trying to pin me down on something WRONG that I am doing”, thus the DEFENSIVE knee jerk reaction of words we believe in but are self-protective in nature.

Hope this part is out of our system, and let me ask this;

“This question is not about the WRONG things that you may have done, are doing or may not be doing in your life. This question is about the GOOD RIGHT MORAL DECENT HONORABLE things you do as you move through your FAITH journey;    How do you feel or find yourself in this regard??

Some answers that may jump to mind;

“Who could not improve on doing better!”
and/or  “I am in a GOOD place in that regard!”
and/or    “I am on TOP of my game!”
and/or    “I am doing ALL the things that I am supposed to do!”
and/or     “I am doing THIS so do not hold THAT against me……….
as no one is perfect!”

Search your heart, read these answers above one at a time, again. Examine them. Remember, brutal honesty please.

Let’s not use the word ‘complacent’ as it has a negative connotation. How about ‘content’ instead?? Complacent & Content are synonyms. They are!

Do these three answers depict describe portray illustrate; contentment???

I would say so, and hope you agree.

So what is WRONG with contentment!?   It is actually Biblical…………

“Contentment in what you HAVE no matter what it is”, is Biblical.

“Contentment in HOW I AM”…………… is NOT Biblical. It should not be part of one’s FAITH journey!

I believe I and we consider “content in how I AM” as OK. But it is NOT.

I am admonishing myself along with you, if you are relating to what is said here. Why admonish??

A child or an employee needs admonishment to recognize and correct. But admonish implicates wrong-doing. How about ‘warn’? It is a synonym to admonish, but it does not implicate wrong-doing.

So, HUMILITY is not weakness rather it is recognizing a deficiency absence deficit short-fall
PLUS  accepting it
EQUALS    corrective action
that is continuous in nature so I do not fall back into
CONTENTMENT in what I have become
THEREFORE, continually IMPROVE; no plateau

See, HUMILITY is the corrective ACTIONS of the need to IMPROVE. Words about needing to improve on what I am are simply just that…………. WORDS.

My Lord and my Maker. May i continually evaluate the words i am using. Examine the impact they may have. Find synonyms to such words that are uplifting rather than lessening the person in front of me. May i do more GOOD do more HONORABLE do more DECENT do more ‘Do the Right thing’. This CONTINUAL and MORE is a lot of work to do, but i count on Your Strength, Your Patience, Your Guidance to give me the stamina not to give-in nor give-up. i need to practice more the phrase; “It works, if you WORK it, so WORK it.”  i love You and thank You my Creator. Amen.