How Low Can You Go?

When I was a teenager, at social events we sometimes played a game called ‘Limbo.’  The objective was to ‘walk’/crawl bent over backwards, rather awkwardly, under a bar setting on a frame, without knocking the bar off its post.  In the beginning of the game the bar was set high enough so that virtually everyone could ‘walk’ under the bar but as each round proceeded, the bar was set a bit lower, making it more and more difficult to walk under it.  The winner of this game was the one who was most able to ‘go low’ to make it under the bar successfully.

Growing up, we had in our home a brown colored purebred Dachshund we called Penny-so named by my sister due to the dog’s dark brown color.  She was a more or less house dog.  Such ‘wiener’ dogs have long slender bodies with very short legs.  Originally, Dachshunds [German for ‘badger hound’] due to their body makeup were bred over centuries to be able to enter underground tunnels of badgers or other vermin and hunt for them.  They could ‘go very low’ due to their body shape and thus were used as badger retrievers for the dog’s master.

These very different examples illustrate the value of being able to ‘go low.’  The first example is just a game, the second might have resulted in a successful hunt for the dog’s master.

Someone may say in exasperation, ‘how low can we go?’ in response to hearing a troubling report about a cultural event or trend that evidences another departure from ‘traditional’ moral values.  In the scriptures, however, the call to ‘go low’ is continually promoted as a virtue, using a word that is typically translated humility-taken from the Latin word ‘humilitas’. The origin of the word has the idea of ‘being close to or from the ground’ [think of humus, ‘the dark organic matter in soil’ -Wikipedia]. Thus, a humble person is possessed of the virtue of humility and conducts him or herself in a way that does not exalt or promote themselves above others or seek to put others ‘down.’  For a Christ follower, ‘how low can you go’ is modeled for us in the person of Jesus.  The apostle Paul describes Jesus’ ‘going low’ in this way:

“Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus; who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bondservant, and being made in the likeness of men.  Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.  For this reason also God highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus, every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” [Phil 2: 5-11]

Paul says to have within ourselves this ‘go low’ attitude.  Ironically, we are to take the ‘high road’ when it comes to virtuous living but are to willingly, even heartily embrace a ‘low road’ of deep humility in our daily living, both in our relationship with our heavenly Father, as well as in our inter-personal relationships with others along life’s journey. This does not mean we are just a ‘door mat’ for others to mistreat and walk over.  Paul asserted his ‘civil’ rights as a Roman citizen when he was threatened illegally with abuse or mistreatment by the Roman authorities [see Acts 22:21-29; 25:9-11 (Paul before the Roman Governor Festus]. Sometimes, the application of this issue or principle can become complicated.  Jesus did not defend Himself against Pilate [Roman governor] or the arresting authorities [Jewish Pharisees].  But it is clear from scripture that His destiny was to suffer and die to achieve redemption for all of us who call upon Him for deliverance from our ‘sin problem.’ [II Corinthians 5:21]

The apostle Peter also makes clear that suffering is sometimes the ‘lot’ of a devoted Christ-follower [I Peter 2:21]. Frankly, it appears to me that the humble person may more likely be a target of exploitation, abuse, etc, because a humble person may be viewed as weak, not willing to defend himself and thus easy prey, especially if such person does not retaliate, which is the standard response of those of the world when attacked or treated unjustly. But Peter says: “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps; who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth, and while being reviled, He did not revile in return, while suffering He uttered no threats but kept entrusting Himself to Him [the Father] who judges righteously” [I Peter 2:21-23].

It appears then, that as followers of Jesus, we have our Master’s permission, as a general principle, to defend ourselves, including seeking legal redress, against others [including the State or others in authority over us] for oppression, or loss of rights as citizens.  However, it does not appear to me at least, that we are thereby required to assert our rights when suffering or being treated unjustly, and for certain, we are not permitted to ‘return evil for evil’ but are admonished to instead turn the other cheek or offer a blessing to those individuals who wrong us. Paul told the believers at Rome: ‘Never pay back evil for evil to anyone…Never take your own revenge beloved but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘vengeance is mine, I will repay says the Lord.’ But if your enemy is hungry, feed him and if he is thirsty, give him a drink, for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.  Do not be overcome with evil but overcome evil with good’ [Romans 12: 17-21]

Paul says for us to ‘have this attitude’ of lowliness as did Jesus.  Like a dachshund, ‘going low’ makes us more useful to our Master who has redeemed us and called us to serve Him with a deeply humble heart.

“..and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility towards one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble” [I Peter 5:5]

How ‘low’ will you strive to go in your pursuit of the virtue of humility?

“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord’ and do not do what I say?” [Luke 6:46]

CJS