We went to a wedding reception recently and Jeff won a prize for knowing the couple really well.
We had never met the groom before that day, but it seems that Jeff is a good guesser.
The prize was one of the table centerpieces – a vase of flowers – and there were four chances to win. On each vase was a word, representing something the couple wanted, and they asked us to pray for those things for them:
Prosperity.
Wealth.
Fame.
Recognition.
The vase Jeff won said:
Humility.
This couple asked us to pray for humility for them every time we looked at the vase.
I love what they mean and I think I understand where they are coming from, but I find myself wanting more for them.
Because I know more about what they need, of course
what they are worth, of course
what they deserve.
But humility is what they asked for.
And I think they knew what they were doing. Humility is hard. What we think we deserve is easier.
Throughout this fall, I had silk flowers in the vase on a shelf. You could barely read the etching on the side, but we knew what it said, so it didn’t really matter if anyone else did, or if we saw the word every time.
When I started redecorating for Christmas, I remembered something another friend had done. She put string lights in a vase in the bathroom, and I loved it. She is amazing enough to have thought of it, but she may have found it in a magazine. Or on Pinterest.
I searched for a vase in our house and came across the one from our friend.
Humility.
How much more fitting for Christmas – and Christ – can you get?
