Saturday, December 9, 2017

The Humble King

So I'm walking through the store, aisle after aisle, familiar and mundane.   Picking up items for the order I was working, confident I would finish in time and be on my way.  In case I forgot to mention I work for Shipt.   It's a grocery delivery service I have worked for for a little over two years.   So this is no new occurrence for me....in fact I have been in this store so many times I know most of the employees by name and even know the products so well, people ask me where to find things instead of the employees....anyway, I digress...So I am walking through the store and get to the frozen section.    As I get closer to the part of the aisle containing the frozen broccoli I needed for my order, I notice that one of the managers, Tony, is talking to a young man sitting in one of those motorized carts.   I could tell that the conversation was a little tense and as I got closer I realized why.  It was clear that he was neither injured, nor planning to use the cart for its intended purpose.  It was also clear that Tony, despite his role as an authority, and his job keeping the store a safe and pleasant environment, was being blatently disrespected, regardless of his attempts at a calm, rational, resolution.   But rather then asserting the authority he rightfully possessed, or getting angry a the disrespect, he remained calm and stable through the entire confrontation.   I told him later on that it was all I could do not to give the kid a piece of my mind, but that I was very impressed at how he managed to divert the situation without becoming angry, or escalating the situation any further. His steady humility against someone who really had no right or ground to behave the way he did, really shone a light on his character.

With Christmas coming, I have been thinking a lot lately about what it meant for Jesus to come down to earth, not just as a man but as a baby.  

Think about this for a minute.    He came as a baby.  A newborn from the womb.    Crying, sleeping, unable to control how he was treated.  Unable to do anything for Himself.  Needing to be fed, cleaned, changed...Unable to protect Himself or anyone else.    And then think about this for a minute.   And He didn't just come to exist in that moment.   He existed before, in heaven with His Father.   Honored, worshiped, loved, with no pain, suffering, or trials.   While I understand as a human some of the beauty in our world, and the wonder of life, I also understand, even in my own life, the pain, hurt, disappointment, trials, we face every day.   And let's call it what it is....His life was not easy.   Even from the beginning He was born in a manger.   Dirty and smelly, unclean, no medical attention or even a proper bed.
 Even on our best days it pails in comparison to the glory He deserved and even on our worst it falls so short of the suffering He endured.   It's hard to fathom.   And while we know He was God and Man, this does not in any way negate or minimize the incredible, unbelievable, extraordinary love and humility that was shown in this act.    As though dying wasn't enough, He gave up literally everything, to come and be helpless.   To come and suffer.   To come as an infant where He may not have even been cognitively aware of who He was for a period of time.   This.     This is why we celebrate Christmas.    Why we celebrate His birth.

Tony showed such humility that day in the store.  He chose to lay down his pride for a total stranger who did not deserve this grace.     And it was a tangible reminder to me of what Christ did for us, on such a huge scale.  He chose humility to the point of complete and total surrender, all so that we could have a way to the Father.    
 I can't help but feel an incredibly deep sense of gratitude toward my king for what He did for us.