A Major Obstacle

I was talking to my brother-in-law who lives in Los Angeles and works for Sony Pictures. He works in the Human Resources department in leadership development. Basically, he coaches people in how to lead others better. He brought up the number #1 obstacle preventing others to lead better. You want to know what obstacle that is? Ego. Ego is what drives people in many companies. Ego says it better be what I wanted, what grants me success, and what makes me comfortable. Ego can derail people from doing what may be best for employees and best for the company. !

Ego. Itʼs crazy how little help people give us in getting over ourselves. Those around us will tell, “you do you, you should have it your way, it is about you.” And marketers will tell us that as you do you - you need this, that, and the other thing to really do you right. We get no help internally because we are mostly driven for us. Our attitudes and actions can at times scream, “Serve me, please me, make me happy.” !

Itʼs amazing that what is true in the world is true spiritually. The major spiritual obstacle we all have is ego. It is ego that screams out, “Iʼm better, more deserving, and should be accepted by who Iʼve been.” Ego got the devil kicked out of heaven and Adam and Eve kicked out the Garden. It is ego that wants to prove our worth rather than accept Christʼs worth on our behalf. 

Thatʼs what makes humility so important. It will take humility to be real with our own brokenness in order to marvel out how Christ made us complete through a cross. It takes humility to say I need someone to do it for me. Humility to cling to Jesus and his work, not our own.

One of Jesusʼ final lessons was on the importance of humility.

The night before Jesus died, he was gathered in the upper room in Jerusalem with his disciples. It was their custom to wash their feet before a meal. Why? ʻCause their feet were the major means of transportation and they didnʼt have Uggs and Nikes - just open toed sandals.

 (Now, I donʼt know about you but my feet are evidence that we live in a fallen world. I canʼt imagine how bad it would be if I used them to travel dirt roads filled with animal droppings.)

But guess who is going to wash the stinky feet of his disciples? Yep, Jesus. He grabs a bowel of water and towel and begins. And when he finishes he said, “I have set for you an example.” (John 13:15) And it wasnʼt about literal feet washing, just about humbling ourselves in order to serve others.

Itʼs amazing that this call to be humble is so profound and helpful, and yet so rarely heard. So here it is. May you humble yourself daily to serve others. May you humble yourself before God in order to be real with the sin your life. And may you know that the one who washed the stinky feet of his disciples through water in a bowel, washed us clean from the stink of sin through blood on a cross. Though low he has raised us up as his own sons and daughters, and now gives us opportunities to pursue humble service towards others.