“Our God of kindness, compassion, and justice expects humans who he made in his image to display his attributes. That we . . . have a responsibility to protect and defend people because we do life with them.”- Joel Muddamalle
“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”- Micah 6:8 (NIV)
In Chapter 1 (“Missing: Peace, My Mind, Etcetera”) of The Hidden Peace, Joel Muddamalle states that at times he sits back and simply wonders. Why, he muses, can’t we just be better humans? Because, Joel posits, God created us with innate humility in our hearts. Hence, if we lose humility, we actually lose part of God’s design for humanity.
Consequently, living in a way inconsistent with God’s design creates an incongruity. A disconnect between our perceived identity and people made in God’s image. In other words, Joel observes, we struggle to live out the life God intended for us.
Therefore, Joel underscores:
“At some point we’ve lost sight of God. If we can’t see God as he truly is, it is impossible for us to see ourselves as we should. This means we will think either to highly of ourselves (pride) or too lowly of ourselves (shame). . . .
We were never designed to absorb the praise of others; we were designed to pour out our praise onto God, the only one worthy of praise. . . . If we think too lowly of ourselves, we will open the door for everyone to walk all over us. Ultimately, we will feel like we don’t have a voice, and, even worse, don’t deserve one.”
In conclusion, Joel states that shame results in more anxiety, fear, pain, and confusion than ever before. Above all, this result isn’t just restricted to us. Rather, it’s a societal issue that transcends age groups as well as demographics. For example, the Barna Group found that 39 percent of adults they surveyed often felt sad or depressed. And another 34 precent felt isolated.
Certainly, Joel asserts, nothing here sounds peaceful.
Today’s question: What Bible verses help you to display his attributes? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Unwanted and unnecessary – humility?”