Stewardship of Regard

For this date in this series of Pages, the theme of esteem, focusing on self-esteem, has been accented.  It is to be understood in the light of the large and important concept of paradox, very important to the analysis of life and meaning in the light of natural and supernatural overlap in Christian formation.  The Christian seeks to abandon contradiction in life, but recognizes that there is paradox, which, for many persons, is confused with contradiction.  For example, the Christian perceives one’s self as elevated.  How can a child of God be less than important?  But, that status with God is put into perspective by the command to the Christian for humility.  An evidence of humility is found in attitude and treatment related to others.  It is simplified in the Scripture as that no matter who I am, or believe I am, I regard any other as better.  This concept puts me in the place of a servant for the purposes of God’s work.  In understanding this, one might study passages of Scripture, and serious other literature, in which words like regard, status, servant and humility are used.  How do I regard others in genuine humility?  Regard them before myself, so to serve!

Is our self-esteem strong enough to reserve it for the practice of esteeming others for their benefit?  The modern student in nearly all areas is partly blinded by the variety of meanings attached to many important words, so that the use of a word, taken from the smorgasbord of words, seems to permit persons to have nearly any context for thought and life, whether or not that context fits meanings as God would have them, or even as we would have them in ordinary conversation with other persons.  That means we need to be students of our words, and persons of those learnings.  Early in my life I remember that one of my mother’s meals was stuffed peppers.  I was sent to the store to buy bell peppers.  That was it.  The peppers were always green, so there was no confusion.  Now we must decide whether or not to get green, yellow, orange, or red bell peppers.  Specificity must be greater now than in my youth.  Heresy or truth may disguise itself in some words variously understood person to person, even age to age.  I need to know the meaning of regard related to humility.  That specificity is part of what I am seeking in my search. What do I regard?

Scripture makes clear that all persons are equal before God, and the gospel is to all.  So it is that one is not superior or inferior to another.  The differences in earth persons are not regarded so much in quality as in quantity, so the majority wins.  The differences in God’s children are in the range of quantity of the quality.  One is of this volume, and the other is of that volume, both good, but the greater is to serve the lesser.  Therefore, God speaks of the growth of his children to fullness.  The natural man thinks in the terms of quantity.  He is never rich enough, or happy enough, or strong enough.  In God there is always enough to life.  Now the point becomes how can one grow in virtue (righteousness), rather than in benefits (status)?  God represents himself as Father. We have seen a good father on earth hide his better knowledge, greater strength, adult conduct in the current care for his child.  God asks his children to adopt such regard in relationships with others, so to give them challenge to learn so perhaps to find God on that humble road.

The Scripture meaning of esteem relates to supposing, to thinking, to deeming, to considering.  The understanding, noted here, begins to emerge when we find the meaning of the words used by the biblical authors.  There is in the scriptural meaning a sense of personal respect for God’s preferences (equality is one).  We tend, in the age of grace, to downplay duty.  We cannot escape the idea that the commandments of the New Testament are firm and clear, perhaps defining to greater detail the commandments of the Old Testament.  The difference between the indications of the Old Testament and the graces of the New Testament is not as far apart as many persons believe.  The God of the Old is the God of the New.  On several occasions, I spoke at a Church, full of happy Christians I liked, who sometimes made it a matter of public knowledge that to escape the legalism of the Old Testament, they went shopping on Sunday after church.  The shopping could have been done on another day, but was deliberately set for Sunday as a witness to the release of mankind in the redeeming grace of the New Testament. (I choose to keep Sunday.)