Day 12 - Each assigned a task

Oh, this humility stuff is hard, isn’t it? I don’t mean the sort of Uriah Heep humility that actually draws attention to itself or the sort of humility where someone loses their sense of God-given worth and becomes a doormat that other’s wipe their feet upon. I mean the not placing ourselves at the centre of everything.

I have read the following passage many times. I have often read it as nice image of people taking part in a process, working together for the Kingdom. I am not sure that I have see it in terms of humility;

What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labour. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.

(1 Corinthians 3:5-9)

As a Church minister I have had the privilege of walking alongside folk for a long-time and bearing witness to the joys and sorrows of their lives. I suspect that I am not the only person involved but I might be the only ‘Churchy’ person. However, in Chaplaincy I could meet with a family every week for months while their little one is in hospital, but I might not be there on the day when there is a breakthrough or something tragic or, what I find particularly hard, the day they go home. A colleague might be there at that precise moment or no Chaplain at all.

How tempting for Paul to be there at the beginning and then want to do the watering (and nurturing and pruning and supporting and weeding etc.) How much we want to be the singular, important person in someone else’s life. How many dangers are there in that? After all, it is their life and not ours. I don’t get to see the entire story of someone else’s life only they and God do. I have to trust in two things; a) the other people involved- ‘the Lord has assigned each his/her task’ and b) God- the God who makes things grow. Like I said, this humility stuff is hard isn’t it?

This Sunday:

Think of all the people who are important to you - their gifting and how they bless and help you. My hunch is that there is more than one person.

Think of someone you are trying to walk alongside and help. Give thanks for the others involved in that person’s care.

Give thanks for the task you’ve been assigned and the grace to de-centre yourself.

Amen.

Suzanne Nockels