Somebody important

 

The story is told of a famous football coach who was on vacation with his family in Maine. When they walked into a movie theater and sat down, the handful of people there applauded. He thought to himself, “I can’t believe it. People recognize me all the way up here.” Then a man came over to him and said, “Thanks for coming. They won’t start the movie for less than ten people.”

 

Ouch! That’ll deflate an ego in a hurry. That’s the trouble with thinking you’re somebody important — not everyone is as convinced of that as you are! I heard about one man who was hesitant to go on vacation. When someone at work told him, “Don’t worry. We can get by without you here for a while.”, his response was, “I know, I know. I just don’t want anybody else to find that out!”

Humility. One of the most difficult-to-find traits in our society. And one of the most important traits in the eyes of God. How often we try to raise our esteem in the eyes of men when we ought to be showing our willingness to lower ourselves.

“When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him; and he who invited you and him come and say to you, ‘Give place to this man,’ and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, go up higher.’ Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 14:8-11)

Look for an opportunity today to take a “lower seat.”

Alan Smith

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