Humility: The Stripping

So the last few weeks my family and I have really been going through. On yesterday, we made the decision that it was time to downsize some things in our home that with the way finances are, probably needed to go. As I was thinking in the car on the way to work, I was praying to ask God what was going on. In my quiet time in my car, the answer came "this is a stripping". I was thinking at first Lord, I have already been through that phase in life why am I going through it again. Then the reply came, with each level there is another phase of stripping.

So as you may look at the word stripping one may think of a person disrobing their clothes. I assure you this is not what I am meaning but rather the taking away of anything in our life that does not resemble God or is a hindrance to the Ministry that God has within us.

As I have been thinking about the stripping that is going on in my life I read a posting that I thought was interesting.

Deuteronomy 8:2-3 And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.

Humility is something that is gained and practiced as we grow in wisdom and grace. Easton’s 1897 Bible Dictionary defines “humility” as: a prominent Christian grace. It is a state of mind well pleasing to God; it preserves the soul in tranquility and makes us patient under trials ^[1] Biblical speaking, humility is the opposite of pride. And according to one thesaurus source, some other antonyms for humility are: arrogance, assertiveness, egoism, pretentiousness, and self-importance.^[2]  

Reference:
Read more: http://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/bible-verses-about-humility-20-scriptures-on-being-humble/#ixzz2RbGxCLl4

The stripping process hurts and does not feel good. It can hurt physically, emotionally, mentally, can be draining on the whole person, etc. But the results are liberating. So what is something in the natural life that has to be stripped?

Wax on the floor - No matter how beautiful a floor is at some point the wax on the floor has to be stripped and redone. One may not see that the floor has lost its luster until after the stripping of the old wax. As we go through our daily busy lives we get immune to things around us. Once the new wax is put on the floor suddenly our eyes are opened to how beautiful the floor really is. Also, how we did not notice the years of residue that had built up. Remember, residue does not come all at once but little by little, layer by layer. And like this residue on the wax floor, residue comes upon our natural and spiritual lives little by little and layer by layer. Yet, God sees this residue through the Holy eyes. Not eyes that are tainted by the daily care that we are faced with each day (Bills, Stresses, Work, Family, Health, Relationships, World affairs, etc).  He sees the effects that it has on us and at times has to do a stripping of our residue.


Part of my stripping in my lesson of humility includes Pride. Not necessarily saying that I have walked around living a prideful life of mean, bitter, a hurtful action but rather putting my own desires and wants above God. Through this, I have learned that I have a way of wanting to fix everything. I recently was married in July and in my life, I have been taught the woman is to manage the home and put everything in place. Well in my effort to do so, I began renting furniture so that our home had nice furniture. In my mind, I was setting the palace for my King and my children. Over time it became more and more difficult to maintain the payments on the furniture. Then the decision was made(downsizing referred to above) between my husband and me to return the furniture leaving our home with no furniture. In this decision, a gentle reminder came to me by God to submit my pride (no matter my good intentions) to him. I remember thinking to myself, how am I going to fix this. But yet feeling God's peace telling me he is stripping me and my surroundings for His Glory and for my good (peace). In the process of Humility, though at times it may feel like it, God is not setting out to humiliate us, make us look bad, hurt us in any kind of way. PLEASE REMEMBER THAT. His lessons come with love. His corrections come with love. His stripping comes with love. How we accept it determines how much harder it will be on us. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. (John 3:17 NIV) 

To Be Continued.....