Day 1: Humble Yourself

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. “ I Peter 5:6-7

Humility comes when we accept we are limited. Genesis shows God created us with limitations. The gospel shows us that Jesus loved us despite our limitations. This is not what our culture tells us - that our limitations need to be overcome so we can succeed. 

The worry of meeting others' - and even our own - expectations, the fear of failure or obsession with success can become our identity. It all distracts from our true identity in Jesus, which calls us to respond to his love for us with a love and acceptance of him. Our identity isn't in our successes or failures, our identity is in being known and cared for by Jesus.  

So when we remind ourselves of the gospel, it helps us let go of our anxiety. Jesus did not condemn us for our failures, but loved and washed us clean. He didn't order us to go and make something lofty and successful out of our lives - he's already been ultimately successful! Success does not raise one above the other, and failure or sin do not make us less worthy. With our limitations, as part of the church body, we find our identity through worshipping and proclaiming our mighty God. 

Chloe Benson