Listen

Love should be shown without pretending. Hate evil, and hold on to what is good. Love each other like the members of your family. Be the best at showing honor to each other. Don’t hesitate to be enthusiastic—be on fire in the Spirit as you serve the Lord! Be happy in your hope, stand your ground when you’re in trouble, and devote yourselves to prayer.

Romans 12:9-12

Think

I’ve heard it said that being humble isn’t thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less. In our world of selfies and social media, it’s easy to get super focused on ourselves. We worry what people think about us. We try to fit in with a certain group. We want to be noticed.

When our scripture says to love and to be the best at showing honor to each other, it shifts our perspective to humbleness. Sometimes it seems like humbleness is weakness, but that’s not true at all! Being humble actually takes a lot of strength. When we’re confident that God loves us, we can be thankful for who we are. We don’t have to compare ourselves to others or try to put others down in order to build ourselves up. We can honor each other instead. There’s a phrase that can help us with this: “I am God’s child, and everyone else is God’s child too.” This reminds us that we are loved, special, and valued. It also reminds us that everyone we encounter is loved, special, and valued too.

Laura Edgar

Question to Ponder:

How might it shape your perspective to think about yourself as God’s child AND to think about everyone around you as God’s child too?

Pray

God, thank you that I’m your beloved child. Help me to be confident in who you made me to be. Thank you that everyone else is your beloved child too. Help me to view others as special and valued.

Amen.

Go

Do justice: pay attention to the needs around you.

Love kindness: take action in big and small ways to help others.

Walk humbly: be confident in God’s love for you, and remember God’s love for everyone.