Lean In

It’s going to happen.  It is going to happen to you and to me.  Maybe it’ll happen today, pProbably this week.  Most likely this month.  Certainly, this year.  It will happen.

We’ll be riding along thinking we are in control and then, boom, it happens.

When I was thirteen, I bought an old messed up stingray bicycle.  I took that thing completely apart and restored it to better than new.  An retired neighbor helped me, but I got the parts, fixed it up and completed a jet black paint job.  That stingray was my pride and joy, and my primary means of transportation.   But then it happened--Boom!  My bike was stolen at school.  I did not see that coming.

I told my parents and they responded with three words: “Such is life.”  Which loosely translated to 2026 lingo comes out as, “Sucks for you!”

“What am I supposed to do?” 

My parents had a solution: “Your sister, Lindy is in a walking cast, she can’t use hers, so you can take her bike to school.”  “I can’t ride a girls’ bike to school!”  “Well then, you can walk.”

When I was thirteen, I rode my sister’s bike to school.  You laugh, but it will happen to you.

One day, I’m riding my sister’s bike to school.  I’m almost there when –boom!  The front wheel came completely off, the bike crashed and I went flying.  I was scratched up and bruised, but I managed to drag what was left of my sister’s bicycle to school. 

It happened to me, it will happen to you, it will happen to us again and again.  We will be humbled.  We will be knocked down a peg or two…or more. We will be forced to eat some sort of humble pie.  We will stare humility right in the face.

Sometimes it’s our own fault.  We didn’t see it coming, no anticipation.  We stepped right on that rake.  Sometimes it is God.  The Lord does allow us to be put in our place from time to time.  Sometimes it’s the devil.  We’re riding along when boom, a temptation causes our wheels to fall off. 

It might be a bill, it might be a text, an email, a phone call, or a letter that causes our crash.

Sometimes it’s another person –a boss, a betrayal, a so-called friend or an enemy.

“What happened to your bike?” my classmates asked.  “No idea,” I responded, “it was working fine before...” 

Then Andy Tooley interupted.  Andy Tooley, the odd, unaware, quirky kid said, “I did it.  I loosened the front wheel, ha, ha.  I got a new ten-speed, that is a piece of junk.”

Its going to happen, maybe from some Andy Tooley tool in your life.

We will all be humbled.

The question is:

What Do We Do When We’re Humbled?

What do we do when we’re knocked down a peg, pushed down in the steadings, and humbled?  How to we handle humility?  Jesus had an answer:

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.  I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. –John 15:1-5 (NIV)

What Do We Do When We’re Humbled?

Jesus says, “Lean in.”

We’re not the gardener, we’re not the vine, we’re not the fruit.  We’re simply the branches. 

Notice Jesus says, “Apart from me you can do nothing.”

At first, I figured this was hyperbole, preacher talk.  Sure, you can do some things without God.  But Jesus says without him we can do nothing.  Its true, we can’t breathe without him, we can’t live without him, and all our so-called accomplishments amount to nothing without him.

“Think about what a branch actually is. A branch has no independent life whatsoever. It doesn't have its own root system. It doesn't have its own source of nutrients. It doesn't have its own connection to water. Every single thing that gives the branch life flows to it from the vine.

Cut a branch off from the vine, and what happens? It doesn't gradually decline over weeks or months. It begins dying immediately. It might look alive for a short time - it might even have some stored energy that keeps the leaves green for a few days - but it's already dead. It just doesn't know it yet.” –Olivia Clarke

When we are humbled, we’re reminded that we really are nothing.  Such is life.

Entering his empty sanctuary during the high holy days, a rabbi was suddenly overcome with emotion and threw himself onto the ground proclaiming, “Lord, I am nothing!” The cantor felt this was a fine gesture, so he too prostrated himself and cried out, “Lord I am nothing!” The synagogue janitor, standing in the back, got caught up in the fervor and joined in. “Lord, I am nothing!” Seeing this, the rabbi nudged the cantor and whispered, “Look who thinks he’s nothing!”

Have you ever noticed how clearly, repeatedly and sincerely the Bible talks about the importance of humility?

It is an attribute of God, a hidden attribute of God.  It is hidden because God is humble.

The Father is humble.  The Son is humble. The Holy Spirit is humble.

There are dozens of instances where the Bible touts humility,  Here are ten:

“The Lord sustains the humble but casts the wicked to the ground.” – Psalms 147:6

“When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.” – Proverbs 11:2

“Humility is the fear of the Lord; its wages are riches and honor and life.” – Proverbs 22:4

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” – Micah 6:8

“For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” – Luke 14:11

“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” – Ephesians 4:2

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves.” – Philippians 2:3

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” – James 4:10

“If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more:  circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee;  as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.  But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.  What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ… --Philippians 3:4-8 (NIV)

Humility brings wisdom, sustainability, honor, exaltation sustenance, riches, honor and life.

It is going to happen; we will be humbled So let’s Lean into humility.

But how?  How can we lean into humility.  When we are humbled, how can we lean in?

Lean into Confessing

“If anyone would like to acquire humility, I can, I think, tell him the first step. The first step is to realize that one is proud. And a biggish step, too. At least, nothing whatever can be done before it. If you think you are not conceited, it means you are very conceited indeed.” - C. S. Lewis. “Mere Christianity.”

Let’s admit we’re not perfect.

Let’s admit we are simply a branch

Dictionary definition:  branch/branch:

noun

A secondary woody stem or limb growing from the trunk or main stem of a tree or shrub or from another secondary limb.

We are secondary

Let’s admit we’ve messed up.

Let’s admit we don’t know everything

“Humility comes from recognizing what you don’t know.”—Lolly Daskal

It took a lot of humility for Andy to admit what he did.  Let’s join him.

Actually, I have a confession to make: I didn’t lock my stingray.  It never entered my mind—this was back in the day when bike locks were rare, but I messed up.

Admission is the first step to the first step in Christianity:  The ABC Prayer:

Admit we need a savior

Lean into Forgiving

You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. –John 15:3 (NLT)

Jesus’ message purifies and prunes us.  What is his message?  Forgiveness.

Jesus offers us forgiveness, so we can forgive others.

At lunch time, my school buddies came to me, with Andy, and announced, “We’ve determined the punishment.”  “What are you talking about?” I asked.

Andy has agreed to let you ghost ride his brand-new ten-speed down the canal next door.  Let’s meet there after school.”

I hesitated, but Andy insisted.  He wanted to make it right.  So, after school, I rode Andy\s new bike down the canal and jumped off—that is what ghost-riding means.  Anyway, I think it hurt me more than the ten-speed.  But Andy paid for his sin, and all was forgiven.

Jesus paid for all of our sins, so we can be forgiven.  And we can forgive.

That’s the second step in the ABC Prayer:

Admit I need a savior

Believe Jesus died for me and he offers me forgiveness.

Lean into Connecting

Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.  I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

–John 15:3-5 (NIV)

It takes humility to connect.  Andy Tooley humbled himself and from then on he became more connected to our crew.

I asked AI if grapevines usually only have one branch.  The reply:  “A typical grapevine does not usually have just one branch; it is expected to produce multiple branches for optimal fruit production. Grapevines are naturally multi-branched, and having only one branch indicates that something may be wrong.”

If I am not connecting, something may be wrong.

This is the third part of the ABC Prayer:

Admit I need a savior

Believe Jesus died for me and he offers me forgiveness

Commit to following Jesus

We have to stay connected to Jesus and to others.

I pieced my sister’s bike together and wobbled on it to school for the next few weeks.  The saga ended when mt parents got me a brand new ten-speed for my birthday that year. 

That\s how God works—humble yourself--or get humbled and lean in—and he will lift you up.