Sit in the Lowest Place

Yesterday I was making backgrounds as my husband and I are going out of town today, riding a boat to Coron, Palawan. I do not want to bring my Bible, too bulky. To make marks, I like to use all sorts of stuff like cut up rubber mats, bottle covers, carved styrofoam, corrugated cardboard, etc. 

“Go and sit in the lowest place...” 

Luke 14:10

Before the Presidential elections, we were invited to listen to prominent candidates speak about their platforms. Unknowingly my husband and I sat in reserved seats, and were asked to move to another table. The people who took our place were the family of one of the candidates and their entourage. Jesus said in Luke 14 that it is best to sit at the lowest place, to be humble and unassuming of your position, in order that we may avoid the embarrassment of being asked to transfer seats to make way for others perceived to be more important. 

By nature, we usually prefer to sit where we can see and hear clearly, but I know a man who always chooses to sit at the back, who always waits for others to eat first in a buffet. Many times there is hardly any food left for him to choose from. And sometimes, because he also prefers to be almost last in line for Communion, there’s no more blessed wafer for him to receive. 

Here again, we see God’s upside down economy at work. The last shall be first. Give and you shall receive. Reap that you may sow. Blessed are they who mourn, who are poor in spirit, meek, the persecuted, etc. Why? Perhaps because God’s treasures cannot be found by the greedy, the proud. They cannot be hoarded but must be shared. The more they are shared the more there is for everyone. It’s a hard lesson to learn in this competitive world, but there is a chance every day to practice it. 

I believe if we want to be more loving, more faithful, more generous, more humble, we must be on the look out every day, for opportunities to practice. If we are observant, more sensitive, less busy with our needs, and more present for others, we will be able to be what Jesus wants to teach us to be. Treasures of heaven are ours for the picking every day. Blessings fall from heaven every minute of the day if we listen to Jesus’ whispers.