"I need humility"

As a pastor still in my twenties (although not for long) I am frequently wrestling with my role in the life of the students I work with, their parents and the larger congregation.  When do I push, when do I comfort, when do I speak the wise word, when do I shut up and listen?  I'll admit it is intimidating to be a pastor for a congregation like ours.  I see the success that people have in life, the skills people have in business, music, education and I wonder what skills I have to bring to the table.

The passage we are reflecting on together as a church begins with this phrase: "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus."  I don't know about you but this is an intimidating phrase.  I am left wondering if this is even possible or how do I even begin?  Is Paul really asking me to clothe myself with the virtues of Christ....God....in the flesh?  The answer is yes and that's scary.  When I was on the retreat with the high school students last month I was refreshed and encouraged by the speaker's reflection on humility.  He explained that not only does humility mean that we consider other people's needs and wants before our own, but that we recognize our need for help.  In the context of the mission of Christ (to bear and forgive the sins of the world) a daunting and intimidating task, Jesus in his humility looked to the father for support, wisdom, encouragement and strength. In humility we recognize that we don't have it all together, that left to our own devices we fall woefully short.  In humility we recognize that we need a savior.

It is intimidating to think that we are supposed to live like Jesus.  But in our humility and dependence on the Holy Spirit we search through God's Word and go out in faith.

It has come to my attention that people are intimidated by these blogs and the reflections within them.  I have heard that people feel in adequate or intimidated to contribute a thought or response to these reflections.   As Christians we are called to be the body of Christ, to sharpen each other and to urge one another on in our calling to live out his attitude in the world. I invite you to join me not because you have something to offer or because you have it all together, but because in humility we recognize that we are in the same boat headed in the same direction.