On a hook in my kitchen hangs an apron. It’s not just any apron. It used to be my mom’s and I think it may have even been passed down to her. I don’t remember how I ended up with it, but I am glad to have it. It is very special to me.
My apron is a vintage wrap-around that goes over my head and stays put. It has no ties that can come loose and covers me from my neck to my thighs. When I put this apron on, I mean business. It’s going to be an all-day affair and it’s going to get messy. I also feel strangely connected to those who wore it before, like I’m carrying on a family tradition of caring for people through food.
As I was reading yesterday, a portion of 1 Peter 5:5 really hit me. It says (in the Amplified version)
“Clothe (apron) yourselves, all of you, with humility (as the garb of a servant, so that its covering cannot possibly be stripped from you, with freedom from pride and arrogance) toward one another.”
First of all, woah. Just woah.
And again, woah.
Is this even possible? What would my life look like if each morning I mentally put on a servant’s apron of humility and set out to serve others? What things would I do differently? What things would rise to a new level of importance? It was a lot to consider. I've been thinking about it ever since.
Us humans are selfish people. I’m no exception to this. Our first and sometimes only thought tends to be how something will affect us. Pride and arrogance cause us to fight for our rights. But God calls us to a much higher road, or as someone recently enlightened me, lower road, the road of humility.
The definitions on humility vary slightly but have the same meaning:
freedom from pride or arrogance
the feeling or attitude that you have no special importance that makes you better than others, lack of pride
modest opinion or estimate of one's own importance, rank
This so goes against our current culture that seems to constantly be screaming about rights and entitlements and where pride is exalted.
What would our world look like if each of us, every day, mentally donned the apron of a servant, no pride, no arrogance, and conducted our lives from an attitude of humility? I think it would look a bit like Heaven.
When we put on the apron of humility as Christians, we are carrying on a family tradition started by our Father. Jesus Christ lived a life of humility and service and then gave His life for all of mankind. There is no greater example of humility.
It’s an impossible act to follow, but I want to be as much like Jesus as humanly possible. I want to put on an over-the-head, wrap-around (that cannot be possibly stripped from me) servant's apron of humility every day. I know it will be messy, I know I’ll fail, but I also know that with His help I’ll improve, that slowly I’ll change to be more like Him.
If you’re reading this and thinking, why would I want to do that? Why would I want to give up so much of myself? I can only say that there is no life like following Jesus. What He brings is so much more than you’ll ever give or sacrifice. And then there’s Heaven, the eternal home for those who follow Him. There is so much to gain in following Christ. You lose everything you build in this world when you die, so really, what do you have to lose?
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