I am so tired of self-aggrandizement...are you?

Yesterday I read an article on Amish Christianity. The writer emphasized the Amish aversion to having their pictures taken, due to each human’s susceptibility to pride and haughtiness. Among the Amish, these are the greatest sins and so their culture has developed many practices which, although foreign to us, are designed to keep arrogance in check and humility on the forefront of one’s mind.

When I got home last night I picked up a magazine that arrived in the mail from a major Christian school. I thumbed through the first 20 pages or so and counted dozens of references to the founder, multiple write-ups on his deeds and legacy, and stories about millions of dollars being spent to honour and preserve his memory. Interestingly, I did not find the word “Christ” on a single page. But even if I overlooked one or two the radical contrast still stands between the Evangelical school and the Amish community.

This clash of worldviews hit me hard. On one hand humility portrayed by a group of people I am largely unfamiliar with. On the other hand self-aggrandizement among those I identify with on matters of faith. It brought to my mind the proverbial saying from the Bible: “Let another man praise you, not your own lips,” and the words of Jesus, “But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments.” Jesus was uniquely humble. He possessed a humility that will be eternally deeper than ours ever will be. I know that. But there is a big difference between identifying humility as a value and finding it hard to attain, and choosing to no longer strive after it period!

Although the Amish have a foggier notion of salvation than Evangelicals do, I think we can learn something from them about humility. Rather than waving our own flags, splashing our names all over our accomplishments, and drawing attention to ourselves, we need to be reminded that we exist to EXALT CHRIST. The bigger we get in the eyes of men, the smaller we must become in our own eyes. Rather than gunning for stardom in Christianity, we must strive to present the Light of the World to men through our humble actions and humble values.

My hope is that God would convict me of haughtiness and weed it from my life so that I can model Christ more clearly, and Aaron Rock less.