As I drove past a pizza place this afternoon I saw a sign that said, “Boston Strong.” There is a lot of that around here since the marathon bombing. What was interesting was underneath was another sign that said, “Help Wanted.” So, much for being strong.
But wait. If I look past the irony of the sign there is much truth here. Really strong people who know they are strong are not threatened nor are they hesitant to ask for help. Strong people aren’t afraid to say, “I don’t know” as opposed to some people who stutter around trying to come up with something so they don’t look stupid or uniformed. The best answer is, “I’ll see if I can find out for you.” Strong people can stand back and let others shine without having to interrupt to tell “their” story. There will be another day to tell “their” story.
Jesus had much to say about this. His parable in Luke 14 is just one example. “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor . . . take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests.”
If we are called to be of service to others, and we are, than one of our responsibilities is to make others look good and shine. I am preaching here to myself because I have a bad tendency to want to jump in with one of my stories. But if we gently bite our tongues we will do so much better. We can be strong. Jesus Strong.
Written by Roger Bothwell on April 29, 2013
Spring of Life, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
Rogerbothwell.org