Wisdom is better than might, but the wisdom of commoners is despised and their words aren’t heeded.
Ecclesiastes 9:16 CEB
Those of us raised in the Western world are blessed for a variety of reasons. We are trained to fight for freedom, to believe in ourselves, to chase after our dreams. But there is an adverse side-effect that comes along with pursuing exceptionalism—we tend to over-value fame and recognition.
The truth is that the world has never learned the names of many of its most remarkable Christians. There are people God has placed in our lives to serve as examples of authentic piety, who daily go the lowly way of Jesus, who have never preached a sermon or written a book (or even a weekly devotional).
What a tragedy it is when we disregard those who actively care for us. When we write off ordinary people as insignificant while attaching unwavering support to celebrities and politicians we’ve never met. How many rich and famous public figures need to let us down before we shift our esteem to our neighbor?
O God, we confess to worshipping the false god of worldly success. Help us to be secure in our identity, not because we are exceptional, but because you are exceptional, and we are your beloved children. Amen.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. We plan to post a weekly devotional and a monthly topical reflection AND we want to be as interactive as possible. Please share your thoughts and questions—we’d be thrilled to hear from you!