Bootstraps

Today's readings: Psalms 5, 145; Deuteronomy 6:1-15; Hebrews 1:1-14; John 1:1-18

Before the Israelites entered the promised land, God had a few things to say to them. In addition to reinforcing the Law, he warned them not to forget - and not to let their descendants forget - that the houses, cisterns and vineyards they used were not of their own making, but had been provided by God and created by the land's former occupants (Deut 6:10-12). No matter what culture or century we live in, it's good to remember our successes do not occur in a vacuum, but are dependent on what we've received from others.

We like the notion of the self-made man or woman, but it is mostly a myth. Usually when we describe a person as self-made, we mean someone who started from poverty and ended with some amount of wealth. Yet even if they started with no money, someone instilled a work ethic into them, cut them a break by being their first employer or customer, or built the economic system that allowed them to flourish. And while anyone should be commended for using their God-given talents wisely, having talent for financial success is not always under our control. Different people have different abilities, so what comes naturally and seems like common sense to one person may not be so for another. Just as a technical art education isn't guaranteed (and isn't always required) to produce a gifted artist, financial success requires abilities we can not simply will into being.

When we see someone who is not successful, we like to think we would have done better if we'd been in their place. Worked harder. Made smarter choices. The truth is we really don't know who we'd be without the blessings we may not take time to consider as contributing to our achievements. We can take credit for stewarding our gifts, resources and opportunities wisely, but we shouldn't forget we did not create them out of nothing. Keeping this in mind helps us maintain a more charitable attitude. We can be grateful for the blessings we've had without blaming others for the blessings they have not had. We can pull ourselves up by our bootstraps only because they were crafted by a gifted shoemaker.

Evening readings: Psalms 82, 29