The Humbleness of Humility

For the first time in my life, I went to an interview and did not get the job! That's a tough pill to swallow. Proverbs 13:12 says "Hope deferred makes the heart sick". I have been sick for the last month, physically and emotionally. My spirit has been reaching, grasping after my connection with Father God; sometimes my emotions have been grasping after people...those are days for honest accountability. Some days I have been acutely aware of His presence; others, I have simply had to believe He was there with me. Trust continues to be THEE lesson I am learning.

As a single woman, I have learned to take care of myself. I am resourceful and I know how to get by with little. I'm MacGyver in the kitchen...I'm rather proud of that. But, during the last few months, I have toggled between resourcefulness and full-on self-reliance. God keeps orchestrating circumstances where I can continue in self-reliance or I can ask for help. All my adult life, I have not wanted to ask for help; always being able to find a reason or excuse to take care of it myself. This is a strategically placed lie the enemy wants me to believe so I won't rely on the community God has put around me. Ultimately, it's pride! It's telling God, "I know that you allowed this in my life right now but since I don't trust you to walk me through it, I'm going to fix it myself! I do not believe you, God, have a solution to this situation!"

Self-reliance begets entitlement. Entitlement is pride! Pride is what got Lucifer thrown out of the heavenly realms.

Joseph, though favored by his father, does not exhibit entitlement. When the butler and baker were released from prison, I am sure Joseph had a sense of hope that his time was almost over too. Two years later, his opportunity arrived! After Pharaoh's magicians and wise men could not interpret his troublesome dreams, Joseph was remembered. The seeds he had planted years earlier sprang to life! While hopefully optimistic, Joseph made himself presentable to the King. BUT, he did not demand anything for his services as the interpreter. He saw himself as only the conduit of God's wisdom and peace (Genesis 41:16). He communicated the strategy God revealed to him without a business plan or half the money down! He did not demand compensation for his "skills"! He conveyed the interpretation of the dream, the urgency for immediate action, the specific need for a Governor to oversee, and the detailed plan of action needed to survive the destruction of a seven-year famine. I submit, that's trust and humility! This interpretation meeting turned out to be a job interview with serious life promotion: responsible for EVERYTHING and everyone in the entire land, a signet ring with all the authority that came with it, and a wife (Gen. 41:39-46)!

"Only in matters of the throne will I [Pharaoh] be greater than you are" (Gen 41:40). From imprisoned slave to sovereign authority over everything except the throne! That's the character of Father God! Through His Son, we have complete power over everything except the throne. Here we have an opportunity to put on new lenses through which we can see and experience life as children of the Father! The other half of Proverbs 13:12 says, "but when desire is fulfilled, it is the tree of life." I charge you to take off your old lenses (perceptions, lies you believe, inappropriate expectations you have for others, non-truths about who God actually is, etc) so you can see the tree of life standing right in front of you!

Humility. Trust. Believe.