Readings for today: 2 Samuel 22-23, Psalm 57
President Harry Truman once said, “It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you don’t care who gets the credit.” Truer words were never spoken. Over the course of my life, I’ve had seasons where I tried to do it all myself. Tried to achieve it all myself. Tried to shoulder the burden all myself. Tried to hoard all the credit for myself. Those are some of the worst seasons of my life. Seasons where I experienced burnout and depression and frustration and anger. Seasons where I was exhausted and on the verge of giving up. Those seasons fed the unhealthy “hero complex” that lurks inside me, a vestige of growing up as the oldest child in an alcoholic home, and it threatens to poison everything I do. Thankfully, God confronted me years ago through a wise and discerning counselor. He told me clearly that He “opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” and He challenged me to embrace obscurity, anonymity, and insignificance. To let go of my need to be the best. To let go of my need for recognition. To let go of my need to perform or appear perfect. He charged me with celebrating those around me. Lifting others up. Decreasing so that others might increase. Taking the lowest place so that I might rejoice as those around me might be loved more than I, esteemed more than I, and preferred over me in all things. The result? A profound sense of personal freedom. The building up of the church into the community she was designed and created by God to be. Greater Kingdom impact through those I’ve been able to equip, encourage, help, and celebrate over the years.
I imagine David must have felt the same way. It’s why he made sure to give credit where it was due. First and foremost to God. 2 Samuel 22 is a beautiful song of praise declaring the wonders and glories of God. David takes no credit for himself for his life. He gives it all to God. He understands it was God who lifted him up out of the shepherds fields. It was God who gave him victory after victory in his life. It was God who anointed him king and made him ruler over Israel. It was God who made his name great and secured a future for his household. Secondly, David understood none of what had taken place would have been possible without the strong leaders God put around him. The Three. The Thirty. The mighty men who accomplished incredible feats of valor and led his armies in battle. Without them, David would have been nothing. David would have come to nothing. So he makes sure to spread the credit around. He makes sure their names are recorded in the history books so they are never forgotten. He even chronicles some of their most famous exploits, deeds that rival his own. David is clearly in a humble place here at the end of his life.
What about you? Do you give credit to God for all He has done in your life or do you believe your achievements are due to your own strength, talent, and wisdom? Do you honor God for all He has given you or do you hoard the credit for yourself? When people take a glance at your social media feeds or engage in conversation with you or observe the way you act; what do they see? Someone who’s all about self-promotion? Or someone who deflects and gives glory to God and others? Do you find yourself clinging to titles and position and authority? Or do you leverage your influence in service to others? Do you celebrate those around you? Constantly lifting them up? Or do you remain silent as those around you get the credit? Jesus once said, “The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.” Is that how you understand your life? Is that how you understand your calling from God?
No one is an island unto themselves. No one accomplishes or achieves on their own. The cultural idea that we each have to pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps is nonsense. It’s a myth. All of us have help along the way and the humble man or woman readily shares the credit with God and with those around them.
Readings for tomorrow: None