I am currently watching a television show with an arrogant character. I find myself getting frustrated by the arrogance, the snooty-ness of the character. As I easily notice this dreadful trait in this man, I am sadly reminded of my own arrogance. It is amazing how we are all so capable of arrogance but we do not always see it. Arrogance is simply believing you are better than someone, smarter than someone, or more important than someone. When we are born, we come into this world thinking of ourselves as more important. No matter how much we are taught that everyone matters, we are too often pulled to a thought process that we are more important, that we matter more, that we are more smarter or more capable or more <<insert something here>>.
I remember when I got my college degree. With one breath, I would consider everyone made in the image of God. In another breath, I was the 2nd of my graduating class and I had a 4-year degree that others did not attain. I remember being given titles and even giving myself titles, because titles meant something. Or do they? The world wants you to think titles are important. We want to have a title or many titles. When we do, we feel seen, noticed, and important. We feel accomplished and worthy. But when we strip away the titles, when we remove the degrees, and when we zero in on a person— what do we see? What really matters? Who are we really?
It all comes back to the same thing. We are all human beings. We are all important, no one more important than the next. We are all made in the image of God to do greater things. We too often miss the greater things because we are stuck on ourselves. We miss what God has for us to do in life because we are so focused on being seen rather than loving. Rather than stoop down and serve, we want to have the good seat at the table. Sadly, we can miss living life because of our concern for what seat we get, what degree we have, what title we are given. It all becomes one big deception. Rather than earning these accolades to help us live our lives to the fullest for God’s glory, they become our greatest deception.
None of us is too important to stoop down. It is in the stooping down that we actually live life. It is in the stooping down that we find out who we are made to be, and we can really get a glimpse of ourselves when we take our eyes away from the good seat to stoop down. If we fail to stoop down, if we start resting in arrogance, we may find ourselves down. Not stooping. Simply down because our pedestal we clung to was kicked out from beneath us. It is then when we can no longe look down. We are down and looking up. As we find ourselves looking up, it is then we may open our eyes to see that we are not “somebody too important.” It is then that maybe the deception will be revealed and our eyes may be open. Sometimes God kicks out the pedestal in His goodness to save us from ourselves.
Today, consider where you are sitting at the table. Consider those sitting with you around that table. Consider those who want a seat at the table. Keep your eyes open for those around you. Take time to listen. Take time to truly look at a person and see them with God’s eyes — as God sees them. When you have the ability to help, stoop down and help. This is grace. Stooping down and helping someone up with you. In a world where people continue to push others down, be the one who stoops down and encourages people. Be the one who helps a person to see that they are important and that they matter. Don’t continue living in the deception.
“If you think you are somebody too important to stoop down to help another (when really you are not), you are living in deception.” – Galatians 6:3 [TPT]
Tania Gutekunst 