It's been some time since I've tried to pose a rowdy bunch of teenagers for a group picture, but not so long that I forget what it's like. Usually, someone yells out, "Hey! Let's get a picture!" and they crowd together. But they're high school boys. Inevitably, one will come out of nowhere --maybe dart up from the back and jump in front of the picture. Look at me! The result? No one is seen. The entire picture is blurred by a flash of gym uniform. Do-Over! And after much grumbling and finger-pointing, the group reassembles.
I think life in the world today can be a lot like that. People locked in a money grab, trying to outdo the another. No one wants the place at the back of the line, the theater, the horse costume. Individuals in today's society are on a self-centered, self-indulgent quest to be noticed; all jumping in front of the camera, grasping at the limelight, all screaming "their truth" to the advantage of no one and the disadvantage of all. Not a face can be seen; not a voice can be heard. In a bid to ensure equity, to keep one group from advancing at a greater rate than another, we're told Everyone gets to be front and center! Well, there's only one front; there's only one center. We're promised Everyone gets a voice! When everyone is talking, no one can be heard. And Everyone gets a trophy! What value is a trophy no one earned and everyone gets? So many in American society believe they should somehow be esteemed; their individuality must be acknowledged and celebrated by the whole. Doesn't that make "the whole" not a whole? If it's me and everyone else, and we all think that way, "the whole" no longer has a single identity and is, therefore, no longer a whole, just a group of self-seeking individuals. The result? No one advances; no work gets done. There is no motivation to push limits or go beyond the expectation of a reward issued to all. The value of achievement is reduced, like the U.S. Treasury just printing more money, or the production of toothpicks versus the laborious mining of diamonds. Our picture is desperately in need of a do-over.
Scripture has the solution of course: God knows all things. In Luke 14:7-14, Jesus reveals Kingdom character in contrast to the character of those with lesser vision. Kingdom character says, "I do not think myself entitled to any glory but am grateful to God, should it be given to me." Kingdom character says, "I am not looking to get ahead in this world but rather, to be a good steward of all I have for the glory of God and the betterment of others." Kingdom character is displayed by seeking the will and worship of God first, the honor of others second, and one's own advancement last. Kingdom character trusts in the God of the universe, believes what is said in His Word, and acts accordingly, humbly taking a seat at the back, doing for others with no expectation of remuneration or reimbursement. Kingdom character adheres to the sovereignty of God and the belief that those who need to be seen (at that time, according to God's plan) will be seen, whether it is the big guy front and center, or the little guy aaaaaalllll the way in the back. I don't need to force my way forward, I don't need to get upset when called upon to take a backseat, I don't need to be the "Equity Police" --God has my best interest in mind, and He controls all things. To be clear, Kingdom character is not self-deprecation or mandatory self-imposed poverty or a lack of godly boundaries, permitting others to run roughshod over you. Those things, too, are ways in which people pervert the Scriptures and interact so as to be seen by or control others. Kingdom character recognizes that, apart from Jesus, there is nothing good within me; apart from Jesus, I can do nothing; but --PRAISE GOD! --by His grace and by His sacrifice, He has given me a new identity as a member of His body and heir to the Kingdom. Though we are week and poor, His grace is sufficient and it is by His power we live and move and have our being.
In the Kingdom, it is okay if we have to serve to lead, if we have to stand in the back to be seen, if we have to remain quiet to be heard, or if we have to do without in order to succeed --in fact, it's good! Because the point of our lives is to point to Jesus. None of this is about us. Get the picture?
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