Proper Perspective

John 3:28-30  You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him. He who has the bride is the bridegroom; the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice; therefore this joy of mine is now full. He must increase, but I must decrease.” 


John was so happy to have seen the one to come after him; the one he calls the bridegroom. John puts himself in the role of best man, the one who stands and hears the bridegroom. The best man has a nice important role but once the marriage is is complete he fades away and his importance diminishes. I admire John because he had the popularity to have claimed the lead role. He could have left off that he was there to prepare the way for the one whose sandals he was not fit to untie. He could have claimed he was the one to baptize with the Holy Spirit and power. Claiming to be first and best is more common than the opposite.


You can even take that attitude one more step. He not only accepted that he was not intended to be the best and highest, but he saw that his importance must decrease while Jesus importance was to increase. 


We can fall prey to two equal and opposite flaws. One is to accept an identity that is less than God intended. We are the brothers and sisters of Christ adopted into the family by life death and resurrection of Jesus and our belief in him. Seeing ourselves as less than that denies God's will for us. The other is to elevate our identity to the point that we pretend we have no need of God. We become God of the domain by denying God his proper place. 


I'd rather be like John the Baptist and know who I am and where I fit in God's plan.