Tuesday, August 3, 2021

Reflection - Number Our Days - From the Ground Up

Source (book): "Teach Us to Number Our Days", Chapter 19, "From the Ground Up", Page 94.
By David Roper, Pastor, and regular and popular writer for Our Daily Bread.
 

We descend by self-exaltation (ecstasy)
PHOTO: We descend by self-exaltation (ecstasy)
and ascend by humility.
- St. Benedict

I read the other day of Charles Simeon, the nineteenth-century English preacher and leader of the evangelical revival in the Church of England. As an elderly man he was noted for his gentle, humble ways, but in his early years Simeon was proud and self-assertive.

One day he was visiting a friend, Henry Venn, who was pastor in the village of Yelling some miles away from Simeon's church in Cambridge. When he left to go home, Venn's daughters complained to their father about his manner.

Venn took the girls to the backyard and said, "Pick me one of those peaches." It was early summer, and the peaches were very green. The girls asked why he wanted the green, unripe fruit. Venn replied, "Well, my dears, it is green now, and we must wait; but a little more sun, and a few more showers, and the peach will be ripe and sweet. So it is with Mr. Simeon."

Simeon, in due time, came to recognize his own arrogance. The warmth of God's love and the showers of opposition, misunderstanding, misrepresentation, disappointment, and frustration that fell upon him became the means by which he grew downward in humility and upward in adoration.

Thus the God of all grace works in the lives of His children, humbling the proud and exalting (praising) the humble, to make us ripe and sweet.

We imagine that spiritual growth is upward, when in fact the path to usefulness and maturity is a downward spiral through difficulty, contradiction, injustice, and humiliation. There is no other way. We must be brought low, rendered powerless, stripped of pretense and defensiveness. We must be left empty, insignificant, useless, feeling like dirt.

"Dirt" is exactly the right word, for fruitfulness grows from the ground up. As Jesus said, "Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds." (John 12:24)

God brings us to the ground, and aging is one of His means. Past sin, frailty, discomfort, physical decline, and thoughts of impending (coming) death all bring us down.

We must believe, then, that God is humbling us, that He is humbling us for a reason, and that He gives great grace to the humble.

The Lord sends poverty and wealth;
he humbles and he exalts.
He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap;
He seats them with princes
and has them inherit a throne of honor. (1 Samuel 2:7-8)


Our part, in the midst of all that is happening to us, is to see God's grace in our frustrations and accept them as His loving hand upon us without growing weary or running away. We must take courage, and wait for the Lord to make us "ripe and sweet."

One of my favorite lines in all of C.S. Lewis's writing is found in his Narnia tale "The Horse and His Boy." The great warhorse Bree, the "Horse" in the title, had humiliated himself by running away from battle. Now he thought he could never again show his face in Narnia and was stricken with terrible remorse over his cowardice.

"It's all very well for you," said Bree. "You haven't disgraced yourself. But I've lost everything."
"My good Horse," said the Hermit [of the Southern March] . . . "you've lost nothing but your self-conceit. No, no, cousin. Don't put back your ears and shake your mane at me. If you are really so humbled as you sounded a minute ago, you must learn to listen to sense. You're not quite the great Horse you had come to think, from living among poor dumb horses. Of course you were braver and cleverer than them. You could hardly help being that. It doesn't follow that you'll be anyone very special in Narnia. But as long as you know you're nobody very special, you'll be a very decent sort of Horse, on the whole, and taking one thing with another."
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We descend by self-exaltation (ecstasy)
and ascend by humility.
- St. Benedict


We descend by self-exaltation (ecstasy)
PHOTO:  We descend by self-exaltation (ecstasy)
and ascend by humility.
- St. Benedict 
PHOTO: St. Benedict
Picture posted by CATHOLIC CHURCH ART
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I read the other day of Charles Simeon, the nineteenth-century English preacher and leader of the evangelical revival in the Church of England. As an elderly man he was noted for his gentle, humble ways, but in his early years Simeon was proud and self-assertive.

One day he was visiting a friend, Henry Venn, who was pastor in the village of Yelling some miles away from Simeon's church in Cambridge. When he left to go home, Venn's daughters complained to their father about his manner.


Charles Simeon, the nineteenth-century English preacher and leader of the evangelical revival in the Church of England.
PHOTO: Charles Simeon, the nineteenth-century English preacher and leader of the evangelical revival in the Church of England. As an elderly man he was noted for his gentle, humble ways, but in his early years Simeon was proud and self-assertive.
Picture posted by National Portrait Gallery, London
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https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw41612/Charles-Simeon


Venn took the girls to the backyard and said, "Pick me one of those peaches." It was early summer, and the peaches were very green. The girls asked why he wanted the green, unripe fruit. Venn replied, "Well, my dears, it is green now, and we must wait; but a little more sun, and a few more showers, and the peach will be ripe and sweet. So it is with Mr. Simeon."


Henry Venn's daughters complained to their father about Simeon's manner.
PHOTO: Henry Venn's daughters complained to their father about Simeon's manner. Venn took the girls to the backyard and said, "Pick me one of those peaches." It was early summer, and the peaches were very green. The girls asked why he wanted the green, unripe fruit. Venn replied, "Well, my dears, it is green now, and we must wait; but a little more sun, and a few more showers, and the peach will be ripe and sweet. So it is with Mr. Simeon."
Picture posted by Britannica - Peach, tree and fruit
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https://www.britannica.com/plant/peach


Simeon, in due time, came to recognize his own arrogance. The warmth of God's love and the showers of opposition, misunderstanding, misrepresentation, disappointment, and frustration that fell upon him became the means by which he grew downward in humility and upward in adoration.
 
 Simeon, in due time, came to recognize his own arrogance.
PHOTO: Simeon, in due time, came to recognize his own arrogance. The warmth of God's love and the showers of opposition, misunderstanding, misrepresentation, disappointment, and frustration that fell upon him became the means by which he grew downward in humility and upward in adoration.


Thus the God of all grace works in the lives of His children, humbling the proud and exalting (praising) the humble, to make us ripe and sweet.


The God of all grace works in the lives of His children, humbling the proud and exalting (praising) the humble, to make us ripe and sweet.
PHOTO: The God of all grace works in the lives of His children, humbling the proud and exalting (praising) the humble, to make us ripe and sweet.
Picture posted by Alamy
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We imagine that spiritual growth is upward, when in fact the path to usefulness and maturity is a downward spiral through difficulty, contradiction, injustice, and humiliation. There is no other way. We must be brought low, rendered powerless, stripped of pretense and defensiveness. We must be left empty, insignificant, useless, feeling like dirt.


We imagine that spiritual growth is upward, when in fact the path to usefulness and maturity is a downward spiral through difficulty, contradiction, injustice, and humiliation.
PHOTO: We imagine that spiritual growth is upward, when in fact the path to usefulness and maturity is a downward spiral through difficulty, contradiction, injustice, and humiliation. There is no other way. We must be brought low, rendered powerless, stripped of pretense and defensiveness. We must be left empty, insignificant, useless, feeling like dirt.
Picture posted by Kan-Yu on 27 February 2013
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https://kan-yu.com.ua/forecast/forecast-consulting/27-02-2013/


"Dirt" is exactly the right word, for fruitfulness grows from the ground up. [96] As Jesus said, "Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds." (John 12:24) [97]


Dirt
PHOTO: "Dirt" is exactly the right word, for fruitfulness grows from the ground up. [96] As Jesus said, "Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds." (John 12:24)
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God brings us to the ground, and aging is one of His means. Past sin, frailty, discomfort, physical decline, and thoughts of impending (coming) death all bring us down.


God brings us to the ground, and aging is one of His means.PHOTO: God brings us to the ground, and aging is one of His means. Past sin, frailty, discomfort, physical decline, and thoughts of impending (coming) death all bring us down.
Picture posted by PX Pixels
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https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2021/03/reflection-thinking-of-heaven-god-of.html


We must believe, then, that God is humbling us, that He is humbling us for a reason, and that He gives great grace to the humble.


We must believe, then, that God is humbling us, that He is humbling us for a reason, and that He gives great grace to the humble.
PHOTO: We must believe, then, that God is humbling us, that He is humbling us for a reason, and that He gives great grace to the humble.
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The Lord sends poverty and wealth;
he humbles and he exalts.
He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap;
He seats them with princes
and has them inherit a throne of honor. (1 Samuel 2:7-8) [98]
 

The Lord sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts.
PHOTO: The Lord sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts. He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; He seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor. (1 Samuel 2:7-8)
Picture from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - Hannah giving her son Samuel to the priest by Jan Victors, 1645. According to the biblical account, Hannah sang her song when she presented Samuel to Eli the priest.
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Our part, in the midst of all that is happening to us, is to see God's grace in our frustrations and accept them as His loving hand upon us without growing weary or running away. We must take courage, and wait for the Lord to make us "ripe and sweet."


Our part, in the midst of all that is happening to us, is to see God's grace in our frustrations and accept them as His loving hand upon us without growing weary or running away.
PHOTO: Our part, in the midst of all that is happening to us, is to see God's grace in our frustrations and accept them as His loving hand upon us without growing weary or running away. We must take courage, and wait for the Lord to make us "ripe and sweet."
Engraving of The Pharisee and the Publican by Gustave Doré
Picture posted by Kiev Church, Ukraine, 2010-2020 - "... two people entered the temple to pray: one is a Pharisee, and the other is a tax collector."
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One of my favorite lines in all of C.S. Lewis's writing is found in his Narnia tale "The Horse and His Boy." The great warhorse Bree, the "Horse" in the title, had humiliated himself by running away from battle. Now he thought he could never again show his face in Narnia and was stricken with terrible remorse over his cowardice.


C.S. Lewis's Narnia tale 'The Horse and His Boy.'
PHOTO: C.S. Lewis's Narnia tale "The Horse and His Boy." The great warhorse Bree, the "Horse" in the title, had humiliated himself by running away from battle. Now he thought he could never again show his face in Narnia and was stricken with terrible remorse over his cowardice.
Picture posted by Fiat Lux on 20 July 2012 - Friday Quote from The Horse and His Boy
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https://kwlowery.wordpress.com/2012/07/20/friday-quote-the-horse-and-his-boy/


"It's all very well for you," said Bree. "You haven't disgraced yourself. But I've lost everything."
"My good Horse," said the Hermit [of the Southern March] . . . "you've lost nothing but your self-conceit. No, no, cousin. Don't put back your ears and shake your mane at me. If you are really so humbled as you sounded a minute ago, you must learn to listen to sense. You're not quite the great Horse you had come to think, from living among poor dumb horses. Of course you were braver and cleverer than them. You could hardly help being that. It doesn't follow that you'll be anyone very special in Narnia. But as long as you know you're nobody very special, you'll be a very decent sort of Horse, on the whole, and taking one thing with another."


. . . It doesn't follow that you'll be anyone very special in Narnia. PHOTO: " . . . It doesn't follow that you'll be anyone very special in Narnia. But as long as you know you're nobody very special, you'll be a very decent sort of Horse, on the whole, and taking one thing with another."
Picture posted by tumblr
 

Dear Lord
Dear Lord
PHOTO: "Dear Lord, we learn from St. Benedict that We descend by self-exaltation and ascend by humility. We pray that although we may be proud and self-assertive but with Your love and grace we can become gentle and humble.

From nature we too notice that in early summer, the peaches are very green. But with a little more sun, and a few more showers, the peach will be ripe and sweet.

Lord, help us in due time, come to recognize our own arrogance. Your warmth of love and the showers of opposition, misunderstanding, misrepresentation, disappointment, and frustration that fell upon us become the means by which we grew downward in humility and upward in adoration.

You are the God of all grace who works in the lives of Your children, humbling the proud and exalting the humble, to make us ripe and sweet.

We may be growing spiritually upward, when in fact the path to usefulness and maturity is a downward spiral through difficulty, contradiction, injustice, and humiliation. There is no other way. We must be brought low, rendered powerless, stripped of pretence and defensiveness. We must be left empty, insignificant, useless, feeling like dirt.

We learn that 'dirt' is exactly the right word, for fruitfulness grows from the ground up. As Jesus said, ’Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.’

Lord, we pray that You bring us to the ground, and aging is one of Your means. Past sin, frailty, discomfort, physical decline, and thoughts of impending death all bring us down. We believe that You are humbling us for a reason, and that You gives great grace to the humble.

We pray too, that in the midst of all that is happening to us, to see Your grace in our frustrations and accept them as Your loving hand upon us without growing weary or running away. We must take courage, and wait for You to make us 'ripe and sweet.'

May we realise that we are nobody special so that we can be very decent sort of person, on the whole, and replacing our undesirable with desirable.

Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen!"
Photo by Annie Leibovitz - Taylor Swift is Rapunzel in the latest "Celebrity Disney Princess"
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Reflection - Number Our Days - From the Ground Up
Source (book): "Teach Us to Number Our Days", Chapter 19, "From the Ground Up", Page 94.
By David Roper, Pastor, and regular and popular writer for Our Daily Bread.


Other Books

"Faithful to the end", A Preacher's Exposition of 2 Timothy, @ 2014 by Robert M. Solomon

'Faithful to the end', A Preacher's Exposition of 2 Timothy, @ 2014 by Robert M. Solomon<br>
Reflection - Faithful to the end (Links)
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2017/06/reflection-faithful-to-end-links.html


"Finding rest for the soul" Responding to Jesus' Invitation in Matthew 11:28-29, © 2016 by Robert M. Solomon

Reflection - Finding rest for the soul (Links)
Reflection - Finding rest for the soul (Links)
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2018/10/reflection-finding-rest-for-soul-links.html


"God in Pursuit" Lessons from the Book of Jonah, © 2016 by Robert M. Solomon

'Reflection - God in Pursuit (Links) - PART I-III, posted on Saturday, 10 August 2019
Reflection - God in Pursuit (Links) - PART I-III, posted on Saturday, 10 August 2019
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2019/08/reflection-god-in-pursuit-links-part-i.html


"God in Pursuit" Lessons from the Book of Jonah, © 2016 by Robert M. Solomon

'Reflection - God in Pursuit (Links) - PART IV, posted on Saturday, 10 August 2019
Reflection - God in Pursuit (Links) - PART IV, posted on Saturday, 10 August 2019
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2019/08/reflection-god-in-pursuit-links-part-iv.html 


"Songs of Christmas", The Stories and Significance of 20 Well-Loved Carols, © 2018 by Robert M. Solomon

Reflection - Songs of Christmas (Links), posted on Friday, 24 April 2020
Reflection - Songs of Christmas (Links), posted on Friday, 24 April 2020
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/04/reflection-songs-of-christmas-links.html
 

"Growing Old Gracefully", Following Jesus to the End, © 2019 by Robert M. Solomon

Reflection - Growing Old Gracefully, Part I - III (Links), posted on Wednesday, 09 December 2020
Reflection - Growing Old Gracefully, Part I - III (Links), posted on Wednesday, 09 December 2020
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/12/reflection-growing-old-gracefully-part.html
 

Reflection - Growing Old Gracefully, Part IV - V (Links), posted on Thursday, 22 April 2021
Reflection - Growing Old Gracefully, Part IV - V (Links), posted on Thursday, 22 April 2021
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/12/reflection-growing-old-gracefully-part_9.html
 


Reference
[1] From "Teach Us to Number Our Days", Copyright © 2008 by David Roper, ISBN 978-981-11-7184-0, Chapter 19, "From the Ground Up", Page 94-97.

[96] Our English word humility comes from the Latin word humus, which means "ground, earth or soil," and from humilitas (from which we get humiliation), which means "nearness to the ground."

[97] John 12:24

[98] 1 Samuel 2:7-8



Links
Other Books - https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/10/reflection-books-links.html


New International Version (NIV), Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.


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