self-worth

Go In Peace

/ JJS / 4 Comments

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Today’s readings (click below to open in new tab/window):
Psalms 119:73-80; 145, Genesis 44:18-34, 1 Corinthians 7:25-31, Mark 5:21-43

During pre-flight safety instructions, attendants tell us that in an emergency we should put on our own oxygen masks before helping others. As Christians we learn to put others before ourselves. We love to repeat stories like the one about Mother Theresa, who suffered deformed feet because she always picked for herself the worst shoes out of the donations. Some of us are taught to be ashamed of asking for prayers for ourselves. Are self-mutilation and shame really part of the “good news” of the gospel?

A crowd was following Jesus to the house of Jairus, whose daughter was ill. Along the way a woman who had suffered from hemorrhages for twelve years pushed her way forward to touch his cloak.  According to the religious voices of the time, her gender and affliction made her too unclean to touch him. When he asked who in the crowd had touched him, she bravely confessed. Someone less merciful could have demanded her punishment. Instead her faith healed her immediately, and Christ bade her “go in peace.”

Despite the interruption, Jesus was able to travel on and heal Jairus’s daughter. We need to stop treating grace as if: a) there’s a limited supply to be doled out to the most worthy, b) it’s for other people but not ourselves, and c) it’s for ourselves but not other people. If the woman had not acted on her own behalf, she might have spent the rest of her life miserable and shunned; instead she became a powerful witness for Christ.

Without doubt we are called to sacrifice our wealth, time, reputation, and even safety if it means staying true to our faith and loving our neighbor, but putting others before ourselves does not equal pointless humiliation or self-destruction. Christ brings healing, not damage; hope, not shame. If the shoes that fit you poorly could fit someone else well, your show of piety harms two people and helps no one. If you don’t put on your own mask first, you won’t be alive to help anyone else. It’s OK to push forward once in a while; Christ also wants you to “go in peace.”

Comfort: God loves you just as much as he loves everyone else.

Challenge: Learn to be fine with loving yourself as God loves you, and understand how this can be compatible with a life of service.

Prayer: God of grace, thank you for your steadfast love. I know I can serve you best when I accept all the love you have to offer me. Please help me understand how your love for me can help me love and serve my neighbor. Amen.

Discussion: Many people find this Mother Theresa story inspirational. What’s your take on it, especially if it’s different from the one in this post?

Join the discussion! If you enjoyed this post, feel free to join an extended discussion as part of the C+C Facebook group. You’ll be notified of new posts through FB, and have the opportunity to share your thoughts with some lovely people. Or feel free to comment here on WordPress, or even re-blog – the more the merrier!

Find Your Place

/ JJS / 2 Comments

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Today’s readings (click below to open in new tab/window):
Psalms 97; 147:12-20, 1 Samuel 20:24-42, Acts 13:1-12, Mark 2:23-3:6

Has anyone ever done you the favor of not giving you a promotion?

Our culture teaches us to want that next step on the ladder, the better title, the bigger income. We throw around “motivational” phrases like “if you’re not moving forward you’re moving backward.” If we are content with our current position and don’t seek advancement, we’re often perceived as unmotivated, despite being strong performers. Contrary to the constant message to move up, forward, and beyond, we need to differentiate between where we belong and where we’re pressured to go. If we rely on others to do that, we may be letting them set us up for failure.

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with pursuing new opportunities, but let’s understand why we seek them. What makes us good (and happy) at our job is not always what makes us a good candidate for the next level. Not every top salesperson makes a competent director. Not every skilled physician should be chief of staff. Not every great chef has the business savvy to run a restaurant. Fortunately, we need many more people to provide services and manufacture goods than we do managers and CEOs. Whatever your job is, doing it well to support yourself, your family, and your community is as successful as it gets.

King Saul was furious with his son Jonathan for siding with David – whom Saul saw as a rival – and effectively forfeiting his opportunity to succeed his father as king. Both Jonathan and Saul knew David would be far better for the nation of Israel than either of them, but only Jonathan did not fear someone else’s success created his failure. For years all of Israel suffered, and ultimately Jonathan died, for Saul’s lack of perspective.

If someone tells you to know your place, it’s demeaning. When you determine where your place is, and claim it in service to the Lord, it empowers you to meet God’s calling in your life. To Christ, the person who harvests the crops is equal to the person who owns the farm. Why betray that love by thinking less of ourselves?

Additional Reading:
Read more about today’s passage from Mark in Ideology or Idolatry and A Responsible Sabbath.

Comfort: Success is found where you are, regardless of where you are going.

Challenge: Every morning for a week, write down what you can do to be successful that day. At the end of the day, review your list.

Prayer: You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.. (Psalm 16:2)

Discussion: Have you ever found yourself in a job where you were over your head?

Join the discussion! If you enjoyed this post, feel free to join an extended discussion as part of the C+C Facebook group. You’ll be notified of new posts through FB, and have the opportunity to share your thoughts with some lovely people. Or feel free to comment here on WordPress, or even re-blog – the more the merrier!