26. THE OLD LADY AND ANA-ROMANS 12:3-8(Humility and Service)

The old lady was quite concerned about her grand daughter who had been quiet and introspective all afternoon. It was clear to her that Ana was bothered by something, so right after dinner she invited the child to come sit with her on her favorite chair. After they were comfortably seated, the old lady asked:
“Ana, do you have something on your mind that is bothering you?”
Ana hesitated for a second and then, taking a deep breath, looked directly at her grand mother and replied:
“Yes gramma, I do indeed, ever since I heard the inspirational speaker on TV talk about the importance of building a strong self-image in order to impress everybody of your abilities and your strengths as the most important key to your future success. Yet I remember you telling us that we should always try to be honest and never try to make ourselves appear better than we truly are. Isn’t that what God expects?”
The old lady smiled gently as she picked up her trusted Bible and lightly stroking her grand daughter’s face, she opened it on St. Paul’s Letter to the Roman, Chapter 12, Verses 3-8, and said:
“This is one of my favorite passages in the bible because it is one occasion when God tells us what he really expects of us as his children. Let me read verse 3:”

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you:
Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought,
but rather think of yourself with sober judgment,
in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.

“St. Paul begins by stating that he has the permission of God to speak to everyone. In simple, unequivocal language he advises us to be honest about our own estimation of ourselves, and to avoid over-inflating our image. He went on to advice us to use sober judgment, by which he means using good sense and the faith that God has given us. It really means that we must, at all time, avoid the temptation of false pride to exaggerate our importance, but rather to accept the humility that comes from knowing who we really are.”
Little Ana, nodding her head vigorously indicating a confirmation of her impression but needing more information, then asked her grand mother:
“Gramma, did St. Paul explain what we should be doing to please God?”
The old lady responded affirmatively as she continued to read verse 4:

Just as each of us has one body with many members,
and these members do not all have the same function,
so in Christ we who are many form one body,
and each member belongs to all the others.

“This, my dear child, is to me the most beautiful description of our individual roles and responsibilities as members of the family and body of Christ. In the same way that our own body is made up with many different parts and each one has an important function to perform, so too are we, as members of the body of Christ. We all belong to the same body, each one having a different role for the common good of all. If we fail to function, or allow false pride to lead us in the wrong direction then our action will affect the rest of the body. This is why we must remain humble in the responsibility, whether small or large, granted to us, and carry them out to the very best of our ability. Always remember, whatever we do, good or bad, is going to have an impact on others.”
Ana, by now was in deep thought as she tried to assimilate all the information her grand mother had just provided, eventually turned to her and asked:
“Gramma, how will I know what God expects of me?”
The old lady smiled as she acknowledged the importance of the question, and continued to read verses 6-8:

We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.
If a man’s gift is prophesying,
let him use it in proportion to his faith.
If it is serving, let him serve;
If it is teaching, let him teach;
If it is encouraging, let him encourage;
If it is contributing to the needs of others,
let him give generously;
If it is leadership, let him govern diligently;
If it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

“St. Paul began by reminding us that we are all granted special “gifts” from God and that we are expected to use them to better serve the body of Christ. He went into great detail to list out almost every aspect of life clearly indicating the impact on everything we do. The list includes prophesying, serving, teaching, supporting and charity, all of which are meant to help and support other members of the Body of Christ. Most important however, I believe, is the fact that these are essentially spiritual gifts given to us by God, to be used to the best of our ability. These are our own special blessings!”
Little Ana, by now much brighter and less perplexed, got up and turning to her grand mother, hugged her tightly and as she ran off to join her siblings, exclaimed:

“Thank you God for accepting me into the Body of Christ. I promise I will accept whatever gift you give me and do my very best to make you proud of me!”