Flying High
Since childhood, I have loved fairy tales and fables, firmly subscribing to the power of stories, and these days, I greatly admire those who can tell them well. One of the stories that have stayed with me all these years is about a skillful architect, craftsman, and artist named Daedelus – a man who symbolized wisdom, knowledge, and power and his infamous son, Icarus! Unjustly imprisoned by the King of Crete, Daedelus created wings attached by wax to their bodies, and with those, they escaped to Greece. While he landed safely on the mainland, Icarus, full of pride that he could fly like a bird, ignored the advice and warning of his father and soared further and further away from Earth. As he got closer to the sun, its powerful rays melted the wax, and he lost his wings. As you will remember, the young man, Icarus, plummeted to his death because of pride.
Our Scripture reading for today comes from Proverbs 16:9, it is better to be humble in spirit with the lowly than to divide the spoiled with the proud. But who is the proud, and how do we find ourselves among them? I was reminded of the apostle John, who warns believers in his first letter not to love the world. In the Amplified translations, verse 16 reads, For all that is in the world — the lust and sensual craving of the flesh and the lust and longing of the eyes and the boastful pride of life (pretentious confidence in one’s resources or in the stability of earthly things)— these do not come from the Father but are from the world.
Pride lurks everywhere, and I must confess that I sometimes feel its pressure both internally and externally! Whether our ambitions, insecurities, or fears feed the pride or expectations from the workplace, our wider family, or the social circles we frequent — pride is ever prowling around, waiting to pounce on us! We often wilfully choose to follow the masses, allowing ourselves to be swayed by their powerful opinions displayed on every screen imaginable – from billboards and road signs to online advertising interrupting every story and documentary. Eventually, we can divide all temptations into these three categories: power, money, and beauty. At this point, I need to remind everyone listening that we are never entirely safe from them, regardless of our good intentions and earnest and honest resolutions.
For this reason, we need to regularly implore our heavenly Father for his help, meaning we should start looking up, and that way more often than looking around and comparing ourselves to others. With the Holy Spirit powerfully present to steer us clear from every pitfall, we can count on his piercing presence, shining bright as daylight in our hearts and minds, to bring clarity and establish his peaceful rule. Thus inspired, may we ceaselessly ask for the old ways, grow adept at spotting the humble, and be joyfully motivated by the authentically good and godly!
GRACE CHALLENGE FOR THE WEEK: None of us can say that there have not been times when we have given in to harmful desires to be more, earn more or own more. Therefore, let us look at Paul’s advice to the young man, Timothy, that godliness accompanied by contentment is great gain, for since we brought nothing into the world, we can take nothing out of the world. May God open our eyes this week to quickly spot the humble and adeptly steer clear of the proud!
