“A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you.” ~ C.S. Lewis
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus was instructing His followers about the final days. He was speaking to them about signs and wonders that would be happening and told them, when those things happened, to look up and see for their salvation would be near at hand. That advice is good advice but advice that may or may not be followed depending upon the individual.
When things get dicey in our lives, we often look everywhere except to the Lord. We become distracted and fearful and we look for a way out rather than face what is happening. The direction in which we view will inform many of our choices.
When we look up, that is, when we look to the Lord for His help and guidance, we are humble people and allow ourselves to be directed. We acknowledge the fact that we are in need of God’s divine assistance and that we cannot do everything ourselves. When we look down, though, we look to the things of this world and we act as people of this world. We judge others and use others for our own want and benefit.
“You were raised better than that.” How many times has that phrase been thrown at children by their parents? They were being reminded that they had been raised with a better set of values and morals, that they were given the understanding of right and wrong, and that, for some reason, they decided to ignore all of that. Our parents’ admonition — you were raised better than that — would often serve to put us on the right track again.
God says the same thing to us. When we look down, when we look to the world rather than to the Lord, He reminds us that we were raised better than that. We need to go back to the faith that we have learned and that we profess and do all that we can to remain on that narrow road that leads to the Kingdom. One thing is for certain, we will quickly go off the road if we look to the world for directions.
We know better than that.
FAITH ACTION: Do not look down upon anybody today. Instead, try to understand their circumstances and give them the encouragement, comfort, or aid that they need.