In my "book" to my children, I talked about my faith...but I also talked about some character traits I thought were important. Below is a chapter, in which I discussed staying humble...
This is another favorite Bible passage of mine, it is from Luke 14:7...Then when Jesus noticed how the guests chose the places of honor, he told them a parable. He said to them, "When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast,do not take the place of honor, because a person more distinguished than you may have been invited by your host.So the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this man your place.' Then, ashamed,you will begin to move to the least important place. But when you are invited, go and take the least important place, so that when your host approaches he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up here to a better place.'Then you will be honored in the presence of all who share the meal with you. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."
This passage goes on to say...14:12 He said also to the man who had invited him, "When you host a dinner or a banquet, don't invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors so you can be invited by them in return and get repaid. But when you host an elaborate meal, invite the poor, the crippled,the lame, and the blind.Then you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."
Read the above again, and let it sink in. It is important that each of us have a strong sense of self-worth. Remember, I previously told you that you cannot love another; if at first, you don't love yourself. However, we all need to keep in mind we are but one piece of a puzzle, which contains millions of other pieces. If your piece were not in place, the pieces around you might be aware that you are no longer there...but someone would still be able to know what the puzzle was supposed to look like without you. Life is meant to be lived in conjunction with others.
My generation, and your generation has lost some of our historical perspective. We think in terms of yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Not having the ability to understand what occurred several decades ago gives us a faulty perspective from which to draw any conclusions regarding today.
My parents, and your mother's parents were products of the Great Depression, World I, and World War II. They had first-hand experience that life was tough. They knew that a successful life required self-sacrifice, and self-discipline. Their generation was forced to work with each other, simply because the problems were so huge; it was the only way to overcome them.
You have grown up in the world of television, where everything is solved in 30, or 60 minutes. We have conditioned ourselves for instant gratification. We want problems solved quickly...and we want them solved in OUR favor, and not necessarily, what is good for the entire group. When you have a group mentality, you will be more grounded, and more humble. You realize you are not the only one looking to have your dreams come true. More importantly, you come to the realization that there were a whole lot of people before you...and there will be whole lot of people after you trying to achieve their dreams as well.
I want to present you with some historical perspective, which seems to have evaporated from our educational process.
We are going through some difficult economic times right now. People are losing their jobs, the stock market is low...and on and on it goes. The unemployment rate is above 9% right now. (Keep in mind that the employment rate, when times are great, is right around 5%.) During the Great Depression, the unemployment rate was in the 25-30% range.
You are currently living through a war in Iraq, and Afghanistan in which approximately 10,000 Americans have died. While I am not trying to discount the worth of any soldier's life, let's look at some other wars to give the number some historical balance...
- 620,000 Americans died during our Civil War
- during World War I, there were 16 million deaths world-wide
- in World War II, over 56 million people were killed, a half million were American soldiers
- roughly 58,000 American soldiers were killed during the Vietnam War
Think of the tremendous sacrifices made by the people before you, which allow you the freedom to pursue your dreams. Take a moment and visualize Arlington cemetery...row upon row of white crosses marking the graves of all the soldiers who gave their lives so we can live in freedom. Each of those crosses represents a soul that once wanted to just live in peace, go to a movie, attend their child's baseball game...just like you. Yet, they left their family and friends, and gave their lives for the greater good of the country.
Placing yourself, even for a brief moment, in the boots of a fallen American soldier will give you a perspective about what is important. Get up every morning and thank God that you are a United States citizen. Thank God that there were people before you who were willing to sacrifice so you could pursue your dreams.
Keep in mind that along with your citizenship comes an obligation to not tear down what the people before you built. You owe it to the thousands who gave their life for this country, to insure that you leave this nation better off than you found it. Thinking of the debt you owe to the people before you will keep you humble.
To be continued...
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