When Choosing to Have a Low Profile Means False Humility

We have often been told that we should maintain a low profile if we are to be truly humble leaders or individuals. But is that really the path that all leaders or persons should take? Is that what Jesus did while He was on earth and led His disciples? Did He really try to be invisible as He carried out the Father’s Will?

What if God is calling you to preach and proclaim the Gospel by using your gift of gab? What if God is calling you to lead people to worship Him? What if God has placed a burden in your heart to champion a cause or advocacy? Do you maintain a low profile? Is it still humility to hide behind the scenes when God is calling you out to take center stage? Is it still humility to refuse God’s call to you to step out boldly as His anointed? Is it humility to shy away from all kinds of service or roles which make you visible and known because you want to maintain a low profile even though you know that you can help in those areas?

 

I strongly believe that being visible or being behind the scenes should not be used to gauge a leader or a person’s humility.

1 Corinthians 12 tells us that we are one body in Christ. But just as God created our body to have many parts with different functions, He also created us unique from each other. God has a unique purpose for each one of us and because of that He has bestowed us with different gifts. 1 Corinthians 12:18-19 says, “God placed the parts, each one of them, in the body as He intended… But as it is, there are many parts but one body.” Some of us were called to be preachers, teachers and apostles. Others are called to do administrative work, the leg work or behind the scene work. Does that make any one of us better than others? Does that make us more humble than others? No! We all have a role to play and we are gifted with abilities and talents based on God’s purpose or plan for our lives.

God designed our bodies in such a way that there are exposed parts, not often visible parts, and hidden or private parts. Imagine if suddenly our faces decided to maintain a low profile. Our faces decided that it’s best that they are hidden and covered.  How about if our butts decided that they should be exposed and visible? What would you think of that? Is it humility to choose to be hidden when your call or purpose is to be visible? Is it humility to serve behind the scenes when you’re called and gifted to lead?  Imagine if Moses or Joseph the Dreamer decided that they simply want to maintain low profiles. Would you consider them humble if they have chosen to refuse God’s call to lead His people at a time of need?

 

For me, humility is recognizing who we are in the sight of God, accepting His truth in our lives and living by it. Humility is recognizing where God has called us to serve in His Church and accepting our role in His plan for salvation with fervor – whether it means we serve behind the scenes or we serve visibly. Humility is choosing to let God use us in whatever way He wishes, not choosing how we’ll serve but submitting ourselves to His Divine Will.

I remember a time when I simply wanted to serve in obscurity. I was telling God that I will continue to serve Him even without a title. Prior to that, I was serving Him and His people very visibly as a leader of single men and women in another community. Then, I joined the Light of Jesus (LOJ) Community. I was set to be a regular member serving without any title. I was happy to do all kinds of service without being called a leader or anything. But God had other plans and through my leader then, God invited me to serve as part of LOJ’s Singles Service Team. 

Around a year ago, I told God again that I’m ready to serve without any title and in obscurity. That was after I served as leader in our Prayer Group under the authority of our Parish Priest. I thought that after my service in our parish that it was God’s purpose for me to serve my family alone and a limited number of people only.  I was willing and ready to serve Him and His Church behind the scenes through my gift of writing. But God had other plans. I suddenly found myself serving the bigger Church and the archdiocese. I found myself writing not just in my little blog but for a big number of people including those abroad. I was amazed to realize that God expanded my territory and widened my influence and reach. 

Then as if on cue, we started this Follow Me Series. I felt God telling me to stop paying attention to those voices telling me to maintain a low profile. I felt God asking me through the recent developments in my life and through the previous roles God has given me to stop resisting His Will and plan for my life. Clearly, He was telling me to embrace my destiny and step out boldly as His anointed into the services/roles where He has called me to use my giftedness. He wants me to shine His light. He reminded me that I should not hide my light under a bushel. That the light in my life is not for me alone or mine to keep. The light that God gave me is for me to share so that others would find Jesus and be drawn closer to Him. That He did not give me the gift of words to simply keep them in my journals like what I used to do. But that He asked me to write my thoughts and reflections so I can inspire and encourage and lead people to Him. That He did not give me the gift of gab for me to be silent. Instead He gave me the gift of words so I can speak comfort, hope, encouragement and wisdom to those who need it the most.

 

2 Timothy 1:7 says that God did not give us a spirit of cowardice or timidity; but of boldness, of power, of love and wisdom. 

As I look back at my life, I noticed how God thrust me repeatedly into positions of influence I didn’t even ask or imagine for myself. I thank the Lord for His confidence and for those opportunities. So, in true humility I choose to embrace again my destiny and God’s unique call to me. I choose to say yes to all that He asks me to do even if these entail that I’d be very visible and more people would get to know me. I choose to serve not according to other people’s agenda or my agenda. I choose to serve God based on His agenda.

 

Inspired by the words of our Mother Mary, I say: “I am the Lord’s servant. Be it done to me according to His word.”

Safety 1st No Touch Thermometer Product Review

We visited my kids’ pediatrician a few weeks ago for their regular well baby check up and for their flu vaccines.  It is advised by doctors that children and adults alike get flu shots before the flu season, which also happens during the rainy season.  That means getting the vaccines between February to June.  “The flu vaccine will prevent one from getting sick, including the chance of contracting any of the other significant complications, or at least help reduce the severity of the illness” according to Dr. Lyndon Lee Suy, program manager of the Department of Health’s Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Disease Program.   

 

My kids’ pediatrician advised me to give the kids paracetamol in case they run a fever.  I’m glad that both of my kids don’t usually get fevers after being vaccinated.  The same thing happened a few weeks ago.

 

This reminded me of a product that I would recommend to Moms and Dads, especially to those who have small children – the Safety 1^st No Touch Thermometer.  I think that having a reliable thermometer at home is essential for all households.  I also recommend that families bring this thermometer with them when they go out on trips or vacations.  Having this kind of thermometer would be a big help especially if you have active little kids whose temperatures are hard to get when they are awake because of constant movement or simply because they do not like to use the thermometer.  This thermometer has helped me and my husband a lot of times when we needed to find out or monitor our children’s temperature and they were busy playing or running around.  Having a reliable thermometer during outings or trips prevents false alarms which are usually the result of checking someone’s temperature by hand only.  When you use this thermometer, you will know right away if someone needs to take a medicine or not, rest for a while or continue enjoying your activities.

 

Let me share some of the product features of this thermometer that my family and I love.

·         The user will know right away if the one whose temperature was taken have a fever or not.  This is made possible by the happy and sad face icon that is displayed.  The happy face icon means that there’s no fever and no reason for alarm.  The sad face means that the person whose temperature was taken has fever.  My eldest son loves this feature.  So do I and our helpers.  It takes the guesswork out of reading thermometers.  We don’t need to stress anymore about trying to remember at what temperature we need to give a medicine to the baby/child every time we need to check their temperature.

·         It enables us to get the temperature of the kids easily.  Even my eldest son has learned how to use it on me, his Dad or his baby brother.  The thermometer makes a beep and the LED will flash when you position it correctly a few inches from the forehead. 

·         You can get the temperature of kids and adults alike using this thermometer within 1 second.  This feature works best for kids who can’t be still for long periods.  This was our challenge before when we use the traditional thermometers.  My kids get impatient.  They start moving and fidgeting even before the required time for taking their temperature is over.  Thus, we need to measure their temperature several times.  With Safety 1^st’ No Touch Thermometer, this problem has been solved.  It saved us a lot of time.

·         It’s convenient to use.  It has memory recall function of up to 10 temperature readings.  I remember when my first born son was still a little over one year old and he got sick of amoebiasis.  He had fever for days and a number of times, he had high fever.  We would list down his temperature readings sometimes as we monitor his condition.  Too bad, we didn’t have this thermometer then. 

·         It can be used to check a sleeping child’s temperature without waking up the child.  Based on our experience, the short beeping sound is not loud enough to wake our kids when we need to check their temperatures at night.  This is a big help for parents who are most often sleep-deprived when their kids are sick.  We surely do not want a sleeping sick child to wake up in the middle of the night just to get his/her temperature because sometimes it takes a while before we can soothe the child and put him/her back to sleep.  This is a big plus for me because I know that sleep is very valuable to anyone who is sick.

·         This thermometer has auto-shut off feature, too.  So, you get to save on battery life.  This is most useful on days or nights when parents are already tired or sleepy watching over sick babies.

·         It can be used to measure the temperature of food and drinks or bath water as well.  One common practice is to check the temperature by feeling the water or the side of the food or drink container by hand.  These are not accurate however.  So, having this thermometer can be very handy whenever you need to check the temperature of these things accurately.

 

Please note however that “for best results in babies and toddlers up to 3 years of age, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends taking the temperature rectally, by placing a thermometer in the baby's anus. This method is accurate and gives a quick reading of the baby's internal temperature."

Hometown Decision

Have you ever heard of the phrase it’s a hometown decision? In contests or politics, hometown decisions mean that the decision was made in favor of the person who lives in that hometown because that person got the vote of his neighbors. But this is not the case in today’s Gospel for Jesus who visited his hometown, Nazareth.

Jesus said in Luke 4:24, "Truly I say to you, no prophet is welcome in his hometown."

In a cross reference (Matthew 13:57), it says: And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown and in his own house is a prophet without honor."

In another version, Matthew 13:57 says: And so they rejected him. Jesus said to them, "A prophet is respected everywhere except in his own hometown and by his own family."

Why did Jesus say this? Is this true? If it’s true, what could be the reason? What is it about the prophets that make the people who are supposedly close to them reject the message they preach?

It said in the Gospel today (March 12, 2012) that Jesus taught in their synagogue and the people in his hometown were amazed. They wondered where He got His wisdom when they know Him as the carpenter’s son. Sometimes, when we are already familiar with someone, we think and feel we know them completely. Thus, when this person whom we are familiar with says something unusual, we get surprised and wonder why this person said what he said. That was what happened with Jesus. His neighbors found it unusual for Him to say such eloquent words in the synagogue when they think that He was just an ordinary person in their neighborhood.

What did Jesus say that offended his neighbors? Why did they get so furious to the point that they want to throw him off a cliff?

What He said insulted his neighbors because the Jews think they are the chosen race. They are proud of that heritage being sons and daughters of Abraham. They are proud to be following many laws in their church or synagogue. Thus, when Jesus honored the foreigners like the widow of Zarephath and Naaman the Syrian, they felt that Jesus was telling them that these foreigners were better than them when it comes to matters of faith. To hear those words from a fellow Jew was an outrage for them. "How dare he say those words to us when he is just one of our neighbors?" They might be thinking at that time. "How dare he insult us by saying that those foreigners who do not believe in the God we worship are better than us that is why miracles were performed for them? Since when did he get the authority to insult us when he is just the carpenter’s son?"

"Some of the things that Jesus said in His mission were quite inflammatory. Did Jesus want to be provocative? Quite unlikely, but one thing is sure. He was not willing to compromise the truth so He always spoke it as He saw it. The Church knows what doing this means and how the intellectuals of society will take it. However, this is a small price to pay for the truth. This is easy to say, yet far more difficult to be faithful to it." This was the commentary on the Gospel from Catholic Scripture Diary, Companion.

That is what the prophets and Jesus share in common. They are not willing to compromise the truth just to accommodate or please the people listening to them. They are not willing to water-down God’s Word to the people God sends them to just so these people would be more receptive of them and of the message they preach. They would rather be persecuted, stoned or crucified than give up the message God has planted in their hearts.

Jesus’ neighbors’ ask, "Where does he get his authority to speak to us in such manner?" The people who listened to the prophets long ago asked the same question. Some were completely clueless. Some knew in their hearts that the prophets’ authority came from God but their pride and weaknesses prevented them from acting on the message proclaimed to them. Some could not accept that God would speak through these people (the prophets and Jesus) because they think and feel that if God is to speak, why not to them? Aren’t they the teachers of the law? Aren’t they the elders in their church?

God, however, has a mysterious way of choosing His messengers. Often, he chooses the most unlikely, the ordinary, the poor and the young. As 1 Corinthians 1:27 says, "Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful."

Jesus’ neighbors especially the leaders in their church or synagogue thought that they are better than him because they were teachers of the law and some were older than him. They saw Jesus grow up to be a man and they saw nothing special about Him. They do not know and they have failed to recognize the hand of God the Father upon Jesus. They did not recognize that among them is not just an ordinary prophet but the Messiah they have been waiting for. They did not recognize Him because He was so ordinary looking. They felt that they already know Him and where He came from. But they are wrong, so wrong.

Let me quote what Jesus said to his disciples on why He uses parables to speak to the people:

The reason that I use parables in talking to them is that they look, but do not see, and they listen, but do not hear or understand. So the prophecy of Isaiah applies to them: ‘This people will listen and listen, but not understand; they will look and look, but not see, because their minds are dull, and they have stopped up their ears and have closed their eyes. Otherwise, their eyes would see, their ears would hear, their minds would understand, and they would turn to me, says God, and I would heal them.’ (Matthew 13:13-15)
 

Can you relate with Jesus and the prophets? Are you experiencing a hometown decision now? Is it in your favor or not? Are there also people rising up against you because of the message that you proclaim? Fear not! Rejoice, for you are in good company, the prophets and the Messiah! Do you feel misunderstood? Do you feel terrified? Do you feel sad and alone?

Here is God’s message to you modern day messenger of God.

"How fortunate you are! Your eyes see and your ears hear." (Matthew 13:16)

"Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today… The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace." (Exodus 14:13-14)

"Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you." (Deuteronomy 31:6)

"Draw near to God." (James 4:8)

"If God is for us, who can be against us? … In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us." (Romans 8:31, 37)

"Fear not, for I am with you." (Philippians 4:5-6)

"Speak, and do not be silent; for I am with you." (Act 18:9-10)

When the apostle Paul faced the Roman tribunal, he said, "At my first defense no one stood with me, but all forsook me… but the Lord stood with me and strengthened me." (2 Timothy 4:16-17)

Remind yourself that God stands by your side when you stand before an assembly that does not want to listen to you and rejects you and the message that you preach. Let God comfort you and strengthen you. Let God whisper in your ear what to do next. For though the voices of the crowd may be loud, the God who speaks to your heart will still have the final word. So boldly conquer as God’s anointed! Walk past them and walk towards your Jerusalem! Embrace your cross and follow Jesus’ footsteps. For as you follow Him to the cross, you also follow Him to His resurrection.

Our Father in heaven does not waste our tears and pains. He allows them and uses them for His purposes so that His glory would be evident in our lives and the choices that we make. May by the choices we make and our witness more hearts would turn to God. Not to us, not to us, but to God be glory!