by Vicki Campbell

For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.  (Romans 12:3)

Susan, a young attractive blond came into the office one morning, chuckling to herself.  Now, this was several years ago, but I’ll never forget her explanation when we prodded her into letting us in on what was obviously so funny.

She began telling us that she had been driving down the interstate on her way into work that morning when this other car pulled up even with hers and held its speed driving in the lane to her left.  She didn’t think much about it until she suddenly felt someone staring at her.  I’m sure most of you have had that eerie, uncomfortable feeling knowing that someone was watching you, and at first, Susan was feeling exactly this same way.

She could imagine some guy in that car gawking at her, trying to flirt and get her attention.  The longer he rode alongside, the more her uneasiness began turning into anger.  Even so, she was determined that she would not give him any satisfaction by looking back at him.  Finally, his persistence in staying beside her caused her anger to really flare up to the point she decided to give him a piece of her mind within the safety of her locked car.  He may not hear everything she was saying, but he would surely get her message.

When Susan turned her head, sure enough, there he was, gaping at her.  She was speechless as she gazed into those big sad eyes with a drooling tongue hanging out staring back at her.  Yes, he did appear smitten with her – this huge Saint Bernard dog.  Even though she was all alone in that car, immediately her face reddened with embarrassment and humility as she realized she had been put in her place.

The Bible teaches us that we should not think more highly of ourselves than we should.  It says that if we will humble ourselves that God will lift us up. Unfortunately, it’s too often that I see Christian people with an attitude that they’re better or more special than others.

There’s many reasons Christians seem to get high-minded.  Some have an unteachable spirit.  They think they know as much as the preacher, and yes, there’s even preachers who won’t admit that they can learn from anyone else.  They seem to portray themselves as Super-Christians, and often act as though they’ve arrived. Unfortunately, not a single one of us will ever arrive while living here on this earth.

I remember this man who told me that he’d been trying to get his Dad to go to church with him.  One excuse he used for not going was, “I know as much as that preacher down there.  He can’t tell me anything I don’t already know.”  The day came, however, when he finally relented and went to church with his son.

They arrived within minutes of the service starting, and the only seats left were on the front row.  When the pastor finally got up to preach the sermon, he stretched out his arm and pointed his finger straight at this Dad.  The first words out of his mouth were, “God says that there’s some of you out there who think you know as much as I do.”

This son told me his dad did some squirming in his seat after that, but he never, ever spoke those words again.  I think he’s a prime example of the verse that says that it’s better for us to fall on the rock than to have the rock fall upon us.

Other Christians, upon being given a certain responsibility, position, or office in the church, somehow feel that they are more important or a better Christian than others.  They often want to make sure you know who they are and what they do.

For example, when we visited one church, a gentleman approached us, introduced himself, and went on to tell us that he was the Head Deacon of that church.  Maybe I shouldn’t have, but I felt more intimidated than impressed by his grandiose display of power.  There was something about the way he told us.  I dismissed this whole scene until I saw him another time and overheard him introducing himself to someone else in exactly the same manner.

No, it’s not necessarily wrong to let others know what you do, but it is when it’s done with an attitude of superiority.  It doesn’t matter whether you are a pastor, a Sunday School teacher, a member of the praise team, or the church janitor.  We are all important in the kingdom of God.  We all have different responsibilities in the church just as our own body parts have different functions.  Some are more visible and noticeable than others, but they are all needed.

Now is a good time for all of us to humble ourselves and ask the Holy Spirit to show us if there’s anything in us that’s displeasing to our Father.  If so, let’s repent and ask Him to help us become all that He wants us to be!

     Vicki