Measuring Up

Three words we oftentimes use without really considering their meaning - status, esteem, and value. Status: The social or professional position, condition, or standing to which varying degrees of responsibility, privilege, and esteem are attached. Esteem: Regard highly or favorably, with respect or admiration; to consider as of a certain value. Value: Worth, merit, or importance; to consider with respect to worth, excellence, usefulness, or importance. We place "value" on certain things, don't we? In considering someone, or something, we determine some "importance" or "degree of excellence" which we will "assign" to the individual or object. Sometimes the individual or object is held in a higher, or lower, esteem based on the value we "assign". In turn, we often equate "position" or "standing" based on our determination of "assigned value". It is not unlikely that we have even assigned "value" to certain actions of others, and even ourselves. We often do this without much thought - giving, or attaching, some sense of "worth" to various actions and their resulting outcomes without much conscious thought. The danger - we often assign value based on our "interpretation" of the importance or excellence of the action to us at that moment in time. The "value" we assign today may not be the importance we will hold with regard to the same action in the future. Our "determining" of merit can fluctuate depending upon mood, circumstance, and even the individual we are considering. When it comes to considering our OWN value, we often are the most "fickle" or "fluctuating" in "assigning" value!

Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion. (Philippians 2:5-8)

Jesus took a different "tact" to determining value. He had "equal" status with God the Father. No amount of "doing" or "manipulating" would make that status any better. He already had pretty "awesome" status! Yet, he did not "cling to" the status he had - he did not let it define his actions. Jesus, equal with God himself, did not think so highly of himself that he was unwilling or unable to see the need of humanity and then take on the form of humanity in order to accomplish the remedy to that need. He could have said, "Hey, I am holy! I cannot rub elbows with those sinners! You just don't understand how important my position is in the scheme of things in this world!" We really should view the "worth" or "value" of the actions of both ourselves and others by the example of Christ. Do we exhibit a certain ability to be selfless - willing to consider others ahead of our present position? Jesus was able to separate his "status" from his "actions". He laid aside "status" in order to "act" in a way totally contrary to his status - laying down his deity to take on the position of a slave. If you were the owner of the manor, to take on the position of a slave suggested a huge transition in "status" or "worth" in the eyes of those who beheld this action. I wonder what we could accomplish if we took our eyes off of "status" and began to see the "worth" of another as more valuable than our own personal "status"?

He set aside privileges. With "status" comes privilege - there is some resulting "benefit" to status, is there not? For example, you can buy tickets to a concert, but when you get the "all-access" tickets, you get to meet the artists, rub elbows with the band, and almost be present in every action they are undertaking. There is a benefit to the "status" of having the "all-access" tickets. Jesus was able to separate the "privileges" of his position - taking on the form of humankind. This probably meant he had to deal with the stuff humans deal with - like hunger, emotions, being tired, and aching feet from long hours standing on them. He could have continued to luxuriate in the "status" of being "equal to God", but he laid that down those privileges in order to experience humanity. I don't know about you, but this suggests a whole lot to me about the "value" Jesus gives to each of us! He was willing to "associate" with our pain and need in order to meet it! Jesus shows us the real "worth" of individual is not in "claiming" his own rights, but in laying them down. This is the meaning of him living a "selfless and obedient" life. To live "selflessly" one must begin to think more of another than they do of themselves. To live obediently suggests a willingness to submit to an authority higher than yourself. Jesus not only laid down his "claims" for his "rights" as "equal to God", but he also was willing to submit to the authority of his Father God. If you have a hard time figuring out how one who is "equal to God" actually "submits to God", you are probably not alone. I think it centers on this whole "value", "worth" and "esteem" issue. He was willing to take on whatever needed to be done in order to connect with and meet the needs of humanity - selflessly, without falling back on his "rights" or "status". I don't know about you, but I think I attach "value" or "worth" to other people's actions all the time. I even find myself "comparing" their actions to my own - seeing if they measure up or are actually "better" than mine! Do you ever do that? If so, I think you and I might just need to take a lesson or two from Jesus - remembering it is not in the "status" we obtain where we are "defined", but in the selfless obedience of considering our "status" less important than the needs of another! Just sayin!

Christmas is not a competitive sport

Christmas is fast approaching and many will make the season all about the gifts they have to amass for the family and friends on their lists. Others will focus on the elaborate decorations and colorful lights. Some will find 'alternative' ways to have those 'ugly sweater' parties - perhaps even an 'ugly face mask' party this year in light of the pandemic. Right there in the midst of all the shopping, list checking, celebrations, and decorations, there can emerge this desire to 'keep up' with someone else. The desire to not be 'outdone' by the neighbors in the display of decorations and lights can drive some to place life and limb at risk as they climb ladders, shimmy up trees, and cross dangerously steep rooftops. The endless hours hunting for 'just the right gift' can wear the best shoppers out - even when they are shopping online this year! Whenever we try to 'keep up' or 'one up' somebody, our motives turn from celebration into competition. Have you heard the term "keeping up with the Joneses"? In a simple sense, it is the tendency we have to compare ourselves to another, then come to the conclusion the stuff the other guy has is something we ought to have, as well. In other words, we "benchmark" ourselves against others. 

You must not covet your neighbor’s house. You must not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor. (Exodus 20:17)

No lusting after your neighbor's house—or wife or servant or maid or ox or donkey. Don't set your heart on anything that is your neighbor's. While the neighbors may not have servants, we do notice when the neighbors have a weekly housekeeper; we may not have oxen and donkey, but we do notice the cars they drive; and we may not notice how much our house needs to be painted until we see the neighbor putting a fresh coat of paint on their home. How many times have we been guilty of "setting our hearts" on what the other guy has or has achieved? The downfall of keeping up with the Joneses is that we find ourselves becoming "consumers" of things, people, position, and even power. When we are just consumers, we are never satisfied with what it is we have.  We all have the natural tendency to "compare" - another term for this tendency is to benchmark ourselves against something or someone. We do it almost without noticing. Since this is such a "natural" thing for us, we would do well to begin to evaluate just how much this has been affecting our choices.

Did you know social status once depended upon your family name? In times past, the name said it all. Do you realize you have been given a new name in Christ? Your new name now says it all! You really don't have to work to achieve status - you already have it! Today, social status is often defined by some form of consumerism - the material or tangible stuff we can accumulate. The danger with this definition of status comes in the insatiable need for more. We want more 'likes' on our social media posts, 'followers' on our websites, and 'star ratings' on our product reviews. Things wear out, newer technology comes along, sleeker automobiles drift onto the market, and trendier clothes hit the racks everyday. My head is set whirling just trying to keep up with the names of the new automobiles out on the market today! Heaven knows my wardrobe is far from trendy! Social media likes and followers - you could go insane over that one!

The underlying attitude of heart God wants us to develop and use during this holiday season is one of contentment. We are given such status by our position in Christ - not the showy kind of status - but the lasting and permanent kind. In Christ, we have all needs met, all fears conquered. We stand as victors. What good does comparing ourselves to another really amount to anyway? In fact, it does just the opposite - it sets us up for giving into the lustful attitude of heart, the wishful thinking of the mind, and the insatiable drive of the eyes. We will do well to examine our "benchmark" in life. If it is not Christ above all else, we perhaps have drifted into a little of the "keeping up with the Joneses" philosophy of our culture. We need to "re-center" our focus in order to "filter" our wants from our needs. No social status is worth compromising our position in Christ. Nor is it worth compromising our family life, our relationships, or our integrity. This commandment really is for our protection, not for limiting us. It is a reminder to "re-center" whenever our eye is on something other than Christ - we should "want for nothing" when we realize our "status" in him! Just sayin!