Morning Prayer Reflection: Are we self-satisfied?

But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, so that no one might boast in the presence of God. 1 Corinthians 1:27-29 (NRSV)

God tends to turn the world upside down, topsy turvy. Now, He's God, so He can. We create our own standards, and then God steps in to show us just how wrong we've gotten it. Sound familiar? It is so easy to get caught up in the "rules" of our world and culture that we can forget that God measures on very different standards than most of our neighbors. Especially in our culture, we are surrounded by messages that tell us that what matters are very superficial things. How much we make, what we wear, where we live, how big and fast our cars are, how "successful" we are at work - those are the questions and judgments we so often get. Yet, God shows us through Jesus that it isn't about what WE do. The disciples were not learned men of the era. They were fishermen, tax collectors, sinners just like us. Yet, in them, Jesus found his closest companions and those to whom he would entrust the future of his mission.

In my own life, one of the most powerful things anyone ever said to me was that, "God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called." How true it is if we examine the early Church. How true it remains if we truly look at our own lives. Not a day goes by that I don't feel [insert word here] to do what I am asked to do. Yet, even in those moments...especially in those moments, God sends confirmation that I am doing all He has asked me to do...if I really am, of course!

Do we judge our worth through God's eyes, or are we all too self-satisfied?

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