A Reccuring Theme

It seems that the issue of pride/humility is following me! Yesterday, I went to CHBC because my church was closed, due to the snow. The sermon was entitled "Don't Flatter Yourself" and was about the dangers of pride, especially within the church, in our spirituality, in our ministry, and in our "chosen-ness." It was a really good sermon and very convicting! So then... this morning, I was listening to Ravi Zacharias, as I often do. He quoted a poem by Shelley about a an ancient king that was so powerful and full of himself, but whose kingdom no longer exists:

Ozymandias of Egypt

I MET a traveller from an antique land
Who said:—Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them on the sand,
Half sunk, a shatter'd visage lies, whose frown
And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamp'd on these lifeless things,
The hand that mock'd them and the heart that fed.
And on the pedestal these words appear:
"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains: round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

The poem (especially the second half) made me think of one of the illustrations that the pastor used yesterday - an exerpt from an article in Forbes written two days after the WTC attack:

"Watching those 110-story towers crumble to the ground was a profoundly unsettling experience, casting into doubt our faith in modern man's ability to control and shape his world."

As Malcolm Muggeridge so aptly put it "all new news is old news happening to new people." Man is determined to erect his tall structures to attain some kind of immortality, but all in vain. Yet, when offered immortality, so many reject it because it requires humility. Why do we struggle so much with pride? If we could just live every day, conscious that we are in the presence of the One who is truly sovereign, Whose kingdom cannot be shaken! Would we not then react as Isaiah when he said: "Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts." (Isaiah 6:5)?

The Irony of Humility

This may seem random, but it's not =) I have been reading through Exodus, about the most humble man to ever live (other than Christ).

"Moses was a very humble man, more so than any man on the face of the earth."
Numbers 12:3

I have often equated humility with insignificance. I mean, those with nothing to be proud about, must, by dfinition, be humble. On the other hand, I just assume that those who have the power, money, the esteem of the world, etc, though they may be kind to others, must still look down on others to a degree. Yet I have been finding that the Bible tells me otherwise.

Educated in the house of Pharoh, Moses still felt inadequate in addressing Pharoh as the mouthpiece of God. Though he saw God's glory (to the extent that man can see God's glory and live), while in the very presence of God, his response is to humbly interceded on behalf of his people:

And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped. And he said, If now I have found favor in your sight, O Lord, please let the Lord go in the midst of us, for it is a stiff-necked people, and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for your inheritance. Exodus 34:8-9

I used to be amazed by the huge hig-rise apartment buildings in NYC. I would imagine stories about the hundreds of people who lived within their walls and think about how I was just a single person among millions and how blessed I was to be born in NY! Now that I live in a high-rise, I have a different perspective. In my own little apartment, I do not see the building or the people; all I see are the walls that confine me.

As I was thinking about this yesterday, it made me think of thoe whole issue of humility, as it relates to perspective. This has caused me to change my thoughts on humility. I think it has less to do with reality and more to do with our perception of reality. When I am the focus of my world, everything else looks pretty small, but when I see God and His creation for what it is, I am well aware of my own insignificance.

This was really made evident to me today. Suddenly met with an unexpected success, my first thought was "who am I to have done this?" The realization of my own insignificance, lack of experience and knowledge, truly humbled me. I cannot even imagine how Moses felt, when given the job of deliverer of the Israelites! For the first time, it made sense that he would be humble. Under that burden or responsibility, how is it possible to feel anything but humbled?

Compliments and Criticisms

Somehow an email that begins with:

"Obviously you have put a lot of work into this..."

followed soon after by:

"You have provided us with the framework..."

is not exactly encouraging. Especially when that email was about a project that has consumed the last three months of my life! Ok, so "consumed" is a little strong, but still... Oh, well *sigh* time to move on to the next project. Guess I can't expect homeruns every time (but it would be nice). =)

Is This Home?

Is this home?

Is this where I should learn to be happy?

Never dreamed

That a home could be dark and cold

I was told

Ev'ry day in my childhood:

Even when you grow old

Home should be where the heart is

Never where words so true!

My heart's far, far away

Home is too

Is this home?

Is this what I must learn to believe in?

Try to find

Something good in this tragic place

Just in case

I should stay here forever

Held in this empty place

Oh, that won't be easy

I know the reason why

My heart's far, far away

Home's alike

Is this home?

Am I here for a day or forever?

Shut away

Until who knows when

Oh, but then

As my life has been altered once

It can change again

Build higher walls around me

Change ev'ry lock and key

Nothing lasts, nothing holds

All of me

My heart's far, far away

Home and free!

When I heard this song for the first time the other day, I had to find the lyrics. I thought they said exactly what I felt at that moment. Then as I read them today, I thought this really pertains to all of life, not just my time in DC. As long as I am on earth, I am eagerly awaiting the day when my heart truly is home and free... with my God.

"Before history is written down in books, it is written in courage."

That was my favorite soundbite in President Bush's State of the Union Address. Below are a few more excerpts I really liked.

Strongest statement concerning the war...

There is no peace in retreat. And there is no honor in retreat. By allowing radical Islam to work its will - by leaving an assaulted world to fend for itself - we would signal to all that we no longer believe in our own ideals, or even in our own courage. But our enemies and our friends can be certain: The United States will not retreat from the world, and we will never surrender to evil.

The most emotional part of President Bush's speech was the letter he read, written by a fallen soldier, Marine Staff Sergeant Dan Clay, to his family:

“I know what honor is. It has been an honor to protect and serve all of you. I faced death with the secure knowledge that you would not have to. Never falter! Don’t hesitate to honor and support those of us who have the honor of protecting that which is worth protecting.”

The most overtly religious statement of the night...

A hopeful society has institutions of science and medicine that do not cut ethical corners, and that recognize the matchless value of every life. Tonight I ask you to pass legislation to prohibit the most egregious abuses of medical research - human cloning in all its forms, creating or implanting embryos for experiments, creating human-animal hybrids and buying, selling, or patenting human embryos. Human life is a gift from our Creator - and that gift should never be discarded, devalued, or put up for sale.

Direct threat to terrorist...

Lacking the military strength to challenge us directly, the terrorists have chosen the weapon of fear. When they murder children at a school in Beslan, or blow up commuters in London or behead a bound captive - the terrorists hope these horrors will break our will, allowing the violent to inherit the Earth. But they have miscalculated: we love our freedom, and we will fight to keep it.

Sugar-coated slam on those who have turned anti-war when the going got tough...

Along the way, we have benefited from responsible criticism and counsel offered by Members of Congress of both parties... Yet there is a difference between responsible criticism that aims for success, and defeatism that refuses to acknowledge anything but failure. Hindsight alone is not wisdom. And second-guessing is not a strategy.

A personal favorite for obvious reasons... =)

Fortunately, this nation has superb professionals in law enforcement, intelligence, the military, and homeland security. These men and women are dedicating their lives to protecting us all, and they deserve our support and our thanks.

Definition of a True "Gentle-Man"

"Brave men are all vertebrates; they have their softness on the surface

and their toughness in the middle. "

~ G. K. Chesterton