Philippians 2:3-4 “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”
I call this The Ring Story.
Some years ago a dear friend asked me to be the Maid of Honor in her wedding. The ceremony took place in the downstairs of an old rustic inn. The upstairs held quaint little rooms where we dressed and prepared. The bride had just helped me get my dress on when disaster struck.
As her only attendant, it was my responsibility to take care of the groom’s ring. As she started to hand me the band, it dropped to the floor. Noting all the cracks and crevices in the floorboard, I panicked. I felt like Gollum as he watched the ring of power descend into the fire on Mount Doom!
In a desperate attempt to grab the ring before it landed, I dove to the floor. Unfortunately, the dress didn’t follow my lead. As I reached out my arm, the zipper tore, leaving my back gloriously exposed. Thankfully, we managed to find a needle and thread and do a makeshift sew job. It at least lasted through the receiving line, that is, until I extended myself to hug one too many people. I ended up wearing a sweater the rest of the evening to cover the gap!
I’m so glad God designed us with a sense of humor. The ring story still makes me chuckle. My ripped zipper didn’t ruin the wedding and at least my friend realized how seriously I took my duty! But I admit, it was humbling.
Humility makes it possible to laugh, and not take ourselves too seriously. To realize we don’t have to be the “most-together” person in the room. We don’t have to dissect our social faux pas and obsess over what others think of us. Paul describes humility as valuing others above ourselves, which runs counter to our natural inclination toward selfishness and conceit. So it’s hard, but not unattainable, or Scripture wouldn’t urge us to have the same humble mindset as Christ (Phil. 2:5).
It costs something to put others above ourselves. Time, energy, maybe even a torn dress. For Jesus, it cost the splendor of heaven. Now that’s a story!