Contrite Obedience

Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?" declares the Lord. "This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word".
Isaiah 66:2 NIV

Contrite - adjective
1. caused by or showing sincere remorse.
2. filled with a sense of guilt and the desire for atonement; penitent.

We live in a world that has somehow strayed from the path that God has laid out. He wants what is best for us, has given us the Bible as a series of lessons lived out in others lives, yet we think we know better. In the title of this piece I used two words that are at the center of God's loving plan for us. It amazes me how vilified those terms have become. It all goes back to the third chapter of Genesis when the serpent deceived Eve and she ate the forbidden fruit. From that point forward, the Old Testament is a collection of stories about people who are given the favor of God, then choose to believe that success has come from their own abilities. Pride is an overarching sin that takes many forms. The most worrisome part is that we are so adept at attributing good things to our pridefulness. We cannot seem to separate confidence from pride. It seems to be attached to any accomplishment we have. In our society it seems to have been supplanted at the pinnacle of success.

Why then does God call us to obedience and contrition? He knows that there is blessing in serving others. He knows and is trying to share with us what a world full of people striving to make life better for others would look like. We can look around and see what a world ruled by arrogance, fame and scheming is like. I truly believe that most anyone who will take time to seach their heart will find that they know something is very wrong with the current system. The problem is the inability to admit that what you have always thought of as right has actually been the barrier that has held you back.

Jesus, God walking around on Earth, came to show us an example that we might learn. If the mighty God of the universe that created all that is from out of nothingness can pause to wash the feet of his egoistic apostles, then surely I can control my need for recognition and power. When you take the steps of acknowledging the errors of your lifestyle, making a conscious effort to change, and then view existence through this different lens, God will allow you to see the real order of life. There is peace on his quiet and safe path. Others will seek to take advantage of your new humility, but inside you will see their attempts for what they are; Fearful people trying to gain happiness as they burrow deeper into the slime of imperious distrust. Once you are able to see their journey for what it really is, it becomes easier to follow the path that Jesus traveled... that of a servant leader.

Weak Minded Conformist

For me personally, In my life, the hardest obstacle to overcome in my search for God was myself. As long as I treated my quest as an attempt to “add to MY knowledge” I was unable to bridge the gap of faith. The entire life of Jesus was a picture of contrast and contradictory thinking. The Jewish people were longing for a Messiah who was strong and would move them into what they felt was a position of power. Jesus’ ministry was to emulate love and become a servant leader, seemingly the embodiment of weakness. Pride, power, domination, intelligence… they are fleeting. Love is encompassing, everlasting and overcomes.

It certainly doesn’t appear that way at first. It can even be taken advantage of and easily abused. In the end it is true and right. Even those who seek exploitation will admit in their hearts that Love and forgiveness, gratitude and humility are powerful. Again, for me, those attributes were hidden behind pride. I could not begin an authentic faith journey until I changed my paradigm from adding God to my circle into moving myself humbly into His circle. It has not been a walk that “I” had the ability to effectively travel. Until I submitted myself to an admittedly flawed system of worship and sought out broken people who were also on this journey, I could not grow.

Pride is the centerpiece of today’s society. My passage has moved me to the fringe. From this side of the “gap of faith” I find it amusing and also troubling that most view me as a weak minded conformist. As a Christian I am called to love even those who mock and ridicule. I have to admit, it is a heavy burden. But now that I have seen the truth of how things really work it is impossible to go back.