My younger brother has always been drawn to hands-on projects. At a younger age, this interest got him into everything from claymation creations to some dangerous situations with power tools. His latest creation of note is a bike helmet fitted to hold a video camera. Of course he's used it in public. He wouldn't be Danny if he didn't.
I would also like to note that his shirt in this photo reads: "Lutefisk: It'll put the fear of cod in you."
Although this is one my favorite Danny creations, my favorite was considerably smaller and so incredibly thoughtful that, seven months later, I'm still thinking about it.
It was Christmas Eve morning. We each took turns opening gifts. Danny had been able to participate in several art classes during the past semester, so a couple gifts under the tree were handmade. There was a clay pot for my mom with a hummingbird figure emerging from the lid and, when my turn came, Danny excitedly handed me a small, handmade paper box. Inside the box was a simple black string necklace with a metal pendant at the end, which said "I am" on a piece of hammered sheet metal cut in the shape of a "#2." I couldn't help but laugh when I saw it. "I am #2?!?!" It was so Danny; he has a habit of saying things that initially make no sense, but then, after you think about it, you're like... woah.
After the initial shock (not to mention the blow to my self-esteem) had passed, the pendent reminded me of Jesus' words in the gospels: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart... and love your neighbor as yourself." So, it's a reminder that I am second to God, and that my desires come second!
Good one, Dan!
Like any good English teacher, my initial interpretation satisfied me. But something was off. Loving God, then others, then self... unless my counting was dreadfully off, that put me at #3. Dang.
But, like any good English teacher, I allowed myself some slack. It was all about interpretation, after all... right? But the ambiguous significance of the pendant stuck with me as it hung over my desk for months, taunting me with the unsolved mystery behind the identity of number one.
When I moved out of the dorm and into an apartment for the summer, I again hung up the pendant at my desk. It just belonged there; if nothing else, at least it reminded me to be humble, to put God first... or... something...
The Art of Humility
But lately God has been showing me there's a bit more to the story. Or at least He's been trying to show me... I'd been too wrapped up in life to notice. It started with a gentle call to spend quality time with Him, not to rush through prayers and breeze through Bible verses like a fifty-page research paper. He wants me to enjoy my time with Him, to be still, to meditate, to talk, and to listen. I had forgotten to listen, to take in His presence and feel that very tangible feeling of relief as He sweeps through me and tugs at my worries and fears, hoping today I will let them go. I had fallen victim to time-consciousness rooted in selfishness, and the selfishness had appeared in other areas of my life as well. I realized that it's really hard to be any kind of decent fiancee when you're more concerned about yourself than your future husband. But selfishness is subtle. Silent. You feel like you're loving someone... and then... that awkward moment when you realize it was actually all about you. Oops.
The science of being imperfect is the study mistakes, the investigation of causation, and the creation of a solution. The problem with the latter is that, sometimes (and very un-science-like) the only solution is to realize we don't have one, and that we can't create one. This is where the art of humility comes into play. Sometimes, I just need to get over myself. I need help. I need God. It's not about me. I'm not number one.
Being number two is an attitude of humility. For the most part, our interactions can be classified as either between ourselves and people or ourselves and God (the only exceptions I can think of are marriage vows and public statements of faith). One entity to another. When I pray, talk to God, I want to surrender to His will and make His priorities mine. When interacting with people, I want to put all of their needs before mine. When it's me and them, they are first, I am second. It's servanthood. It's hard. I keep messing up. But God will cut me some slack. And He's always willing to give me a second. ;)
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