Going Lower

A phrase popped in my mind as I prayed about the theme for this year.  "Humility Comes Before Honor".  I questioned myself, "Is that a Bible verse?"  I found it in Prov. 18:12.

Amazingly how when God speaks to you, he does however freaky unexpected way he wants to.  The first question at our mother/daughter group after the tamales and coffee were demolished was, "What does humble mean?"   After teaching the kids all week, I begged them to try and give Mrs. Ruiz an answer.  "Going down the ladder, " says Abigail.  "Helping the poor" says Bethan.  "Oh no," I thought, "no one's going to understand what I was getting at."  I had tried to teach what Ann V said in this prayer for her daughter:

"...May she be bread and feed many with her life and her laughter
May she be thread and mend brokeness and knit hearts
May she be dead to all ladders & never go higher, only lower, to the lonely, the least & the longing..."

But no, it all came together as we ladies talked....from 3 to 63...chatting about what a real man does, who a real man is, and how we can be humble and look for humility in a man.  The girls got a deeper understanding of humility.  But I'm not worried.  I know this will be a thought we return to all year.

Tommy elbowed Aziza to point out the picture and answer to my riddle.
"Milk, that's right," I replied
His face looked up for affirmation, delighted in being "better" than his sister.  I am sad to see his insecurity, meanness, and pride.  But, as we have talked this week about boasting and humility and not having to say your are good because you know God has given you special gifts, I have seen him say more often..."Good job, Aziza."

And I know this word is for us.

For me, for my marriage too...it takes humility not to slice and dice when I know I can point out the flaws, the mistakes and smear it in his face.  To hold back, and wait, and ponder and let love grow in again is a harder but much better path.  A path that leads to honor.

And so we've been singing with Music Machine, "Mr. Bumblebee is humble..." and we've been singing today, "Humble Thyself in the sight of the Lord and he will lift you up..."  soon to be accompanied by Bethan's autoharp....

And I feel encouraged about homeschooling and more importantly and why we do it: home discipleship.