Have you ever been at a parade and got caught in a torrential downpour without an umbrella? It’s not very much fun, is it? We are suddenly soaked to the bone, cold, makeup running down our faces, flat hair, the whole nine yards! Definitely not our best moment.
Conversely, our best moment is also not someone raining on our parades, or on a moment of great excitement! Out of curiosity, have YOU ever Rained ON Someone Else’s Parade? Raining on someone else’s parade is likely something we’ve done multiple times, but it may not be something we ponder a great deal.
I noticed this pattern in myself quite a few years ago. I felt the gentle nudge of the Holy Spirit, drawing my attention to what I was doing. Someone would post on Facebook about their recent trip to Hawaii or some other place they’d just visited, a recent accomplishment, or some other accolade. Not to be outdone, I would quickly comment how we’d done the same, accomplished that, been there, etc…quickly removing the focus from my friend and his or her excitement.
What I suddenly realized is that sometimes it was my own ugly pride rising up, placing myself in the limelight. After all, I wanted them to know I’d been there too,…I didn’t want THEM to think that they were the ONLY ones…Many times I’d go off on a rabbit trail about where we visited, plus a thousand and one other details, RATHER THAN acknowledging this person’s utter excitement and leaving it at that. Maybe this was their first trip to Hawaii, one that they literally saved their pennies for. Could it be they were overcome with excitement and simply wanted to share with their friends and family so they could in turn share in their excitement with them?
Most of us just need people to care and make us feel validated…But sometimes we lose sight of that. It really is okay to simply acknowledge our friends and families excitement and validate them, allowing them to bask in the limelight, without creating that torrential downpour over them. Humbling ourselves is good for the soul. There are truly needs all around us. We need not make life all about us.
I’m preaching to the choir here. Just something I’ve learned to better myself and thought it may benefit you too. Humility speaks. Humility acknowledges others and lifts them up. Humility acknowledges others as better than ourselves. And THAT’S a very good thing!
