“Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, ‘When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, and he who invited you both will come and say to you, “Give your place to this person,” and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, “Friend, move up higher.” Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.’ He said also to the man who had invited him, ‘When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.’” (Luke 14:7-14, ESV)
Here is what I journaled at the end of this ordinary Monday…
Today, I was scheduled to attend a lunch welcoming collegiate student summer staff. I would be introduced, get a free lunch, and get to know some of the students. But, God had another plan in mind!
Just as I was preparing to leave my desk - my phone rang and it was a frantic co-worker asking me to please jump in and be the tour guide for the tour of the property which was to have started a few minutes before.
I quickly explained about the meeting, but knew in the back of my mind that the right thing would be to just stay and do the tour. I asked other co-workers, and even felt permission to hand the problem off to someone else. So, I did. And, went off to the meeting.
Before they got ready for our group to be introduced, they discovered the tour was still not taken care of...and they came up with no other option than for me to go back and do the tour.
I was also quick to point out to myself that this was one reason I hadn't wanted to be trained to do these tours. And all the way over, I just laid my yucky attitude before God and said, "Lord, I don't want to give this tour and I have a rotten attitude about it."
But, I knew in my heart these people deserved a great tour - the best I could give. I quoted to myself, "Whatever you do - do it all for the glory of God." (Colossians 3:23) And, when I was nearly there - the phrase was like a lightning bolt..."Choose the lowest place." A powerful reminder of a passage God had really placed on my heart just a few days ago.
I got to the tour, the people were spectacular and so friendly - we had a delightful time together seeing the beauty of the place I loved working at. I was indeed blessed by being in their presence. What a God-thing!
But then as I thought more about the passage in Luke - I realized I had few things backwards.
I knew it would be the right thing to go ahead and choose the lowest place and do the tour. In my mind, I set the honorable place on what would bring me glory - being introduced and recognized. But, since I chose the place of "higher" honor - God allowed me to be humbled by having to be told to go back and to the tour instead of choosing it.
Imagine how much more I would have glorified Him if I had just chosen the lower place first.
Later in the day, thoughts would creep in of wondering if anyone realized what I'd felt like I had sacrificed. If they'd realized I missed lunch and hadn't brought anything because I was planning something different.
But the still small Voice kept saying, "Take the lowest place". And I knew, again, that it was a discipline of the mind that needed to rule over these thoughts.
So, today while many ate pizza, and others saw God's beauty at this amazing place for the first time - I was on the Potter's Wheel being shaped and re-shaped into the woman God wants me to be! Hallelujah. What a kindness of God.
Over two decades later, this lesson still resonates with me and I still fail to choose the lowest place more times than I care to admit. As the Lord has reminded me of this, I would love to take a moment to consider some practical ways we can choose the lowest place remembering that, in God’s economy, the way up is down.
In moments of frustration or needing to clear your mind and focus, rather than picking up your phone and opening social media to see what others are up to or what you are missing, turn on worship music or recite a favorite passage of Scripture. It doesn’t matter what others are doing, it matters that we worship the Lord.
When you have a few moments of free time, use them to invest in your relationship with the Lord: open His Word, pray, memorize a passage of Scripture, quietly meditate on what you have been studying lately, or praise God for who He is!
Remember that even if no human ever sees or notices your service, gifts, or talents - God does. Our work is an offering to Him, done to honor and glorify Him, and it is more than enough for Him to see that. The way we serve the Lord in the secret and hidden place shows what kind of integrity and motivation we are working from. When no one is watching, will I still do my best to honor the Lord - I will when I’m choosing the best place!
Examine my motives - when opportunities arise to serve or participate in things, it is a good time to pause and pray. What are our motives for saying yes or no? Will this enable us to choose the lowest place and honor the Lord? Or will we be thinking about how we will look to others?
A good ministry leader will be interested in choosing the lowest place. Leadership does require a certain amount of outward facing skill and personality, but when we invite others in to serve with us, giving away everything you can to others to share the reward, and give God all the glory - we are choosing the lowest place.
In times of feeling misunderstood or unheard by a spouse, child, or friend - we can ask the Lord to keep our hearts soft. Perhaps there is a reason that the other one has not asked about what we hoped or did not respond in understanding. Have they had a hard day? Are they really trying to be difficult? Choosing the lowest place can look like believing the best in another until we have more facts to base our reaction on. Asking the Lord to keep our hearts soft is a humble posture that demonstrates surrender and service.
Saying “I’m sorry” first is a great way to model choosing the lowest place. Pride gets defensive and demands being right and justified in our feelings and opinions. Proverbs 15:1 reminds us that, “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” It might feel good in moment to retort with the zinger on your tongue, but even more beautiful when we hold our tongues and remain quiet instead.
If you still need a little help - read through this passage from Philippians 2:1-11 and pray it to the Lord crying out and asking for His help in choosing the lowest place. Give thanks to Jesus for the way He chose the lowest place on our behalf so that we could be forgiven and reconciled to Him. Choosing the lowest place is not always easy to do, but it is fruitful and such a sweet place to walk in fellowship with the Lord.
“So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
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