Remember the Disney chipmunks, Chip and Dale? They had a wonderful routine:
Chip – You first.
Dale – No, you first.
Chip – Really, please, you go first
Dale – No, no, you first!
Not long ago, I spent a lot of time in airport lines and in Atlanta traffic, and I
think we’ve forgotten this simple lesson from Chip and Dale. We compete and jostle in our efforts to “be
first”, whether in a line or in traffic or in our quiet judgments of each
other.
My dad’s family was what is often referred to as “old
money”. Circumstances stemming from a parental divorce and my own reprobate
behavior reclassified me as a nearly penniless “black sheep” – I consoled
myself that at least I wasn’t “white trash”, plus those old money people were “judgmental
snobs” anyway.
Umm – who was being judgmental?
It’s common and sadly almost imperceptible in the mirror,
this innate ranking system where we determine our own worth in comparison with
our assessments of others. It’s also not
new – in Luke 14, Jesus taught the paradoxical lesson that the best prevention
against humiliation is humility, which also yields the greatest rewards.
This story from Jesus' life takes place in the home of a prominent Pharisee who'd invited him to the Sabbath meal under false pretenses. Beginning with verse 7:
When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: "When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, 'Give this person your seat.' Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, 'Friend, move up to a better place.' Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted."
Over the years, God in His boundless wisdom and love has given me a steady education on humility - the kind that breaks a judgmental, “me-first” spirit and draws me into His loving, forgiving embrace. I don’t get it 100% right every day…but my “you-first” days are also my most joyous.
