GLENN: I want you to ponder this today: We all began to lose the minute we decided we had to win.
Most things, I think, that come from an eternal perspective -- you know the phrase, God works in mysterious ways. Yeah. Yeah, he really does. Not really mysterious to him. But mysterious to us. Because sometimes they just don't make any sense. We all began to lose, the minute we decided we had to win. What?
Universal laws go against I think man's basic nature. And that's the point. That's the point.
We're not animals. Well, technically, we are. But our brain and our free will gives us the ability to be something bigger than that. But for some reason, we are convinced, and we are convincing ourselves and our culture is convincing ourselves to -- to just be your base animal. Just go for it.
What feels good? Do it. That's the opposite of where we should be headed.
Who is pointing up? Who is saying be that? Let's reach for the stars. There's something bigger. There's something brighter. There's something better.
Our arrogance has become so profound, we are all so busy looking down at someone or down on something. And that's our problem. Because when you spend your whole life looking down, you're never looking up to see what's above you. To see what's in front of you. To see what's possible.
Everyone is teaching you, look down on them.
We all began to lose the minute we decided we had to win. Lose your life to gain your life. What?
When I was younger, I searched for certainty. I feared doubt. I don't want to have doubt. I want certainty.
I find myself in a weird position to where I now fear certainty, and I find profound answers in doubt.
It is our arrogance and our certitude. Certitude is the -- is the mortal enemy of tolerance. I'm right! They're wrong!
Well, if they're wrong, then they have nothing to teach me. They just have to sit down and listen.
Tell me how that has worked with any of your children. My children have taught me a ton.
I learned something from my son, just this weekend, as we were having a father/son discussion, where everything in me wanted to throw him up against the refrigerator. And I told him that: I am about to throw you against the refrigerator. And I don't think that's a wise idea. So why don't we take it down a notch?
And we did. I learned humility. I stopped trying to win.
If there's only certainty, then there is no doubt. And without doubt, there's no need for faith. There's no -- there's no mystery.
Doubt is what breathes life into our faith. And how often do we speak and do we argue about things that we really don't know. You've regurgitated from something that you've heard. And I don't know -- why can't you make the case? It's your job to make the case.
And if you can't make the case, stop trying to make the case.
How many times have we spoken with absolute certitude, I know these things are going to happen. I know this is true. Only to later have a deeper understanding, a different understanding. Did we notice that our certitude was misplaced?
How many times have we fought for our beliefs, not knowing or not recognizing, or not giving the ultimate power to the idea that the truth cannot be vanquished. I may lose this battle, but the truth will win.
Humility is a surrender to the truth. Because no matter how our battle goes, the truth wins. How often do we fight? How often do we get on Facebook and say horrible things to each other?
Well, I'm not saying horrible things. They're saying horrible things. I've got to defend it. I mean, we've got to. We can't lose this. Losing is not an option.
How many times have you thought, it has to be this way? And then you lose. I have to have this job. I cannot lose this. I cannot -- and then you do. You lose it. You don't get it.
And you're convinced that's the worst thing ever. And years later, you go, man, if that would have happened, that would have been the biggest mistake ever.
Our certitude is our enemy. I've pondered a lot this weekend, my God, my God, have you forsaken me? This is the guy the Christians believe is God.
This is the guy who doesn't doubt. He knows. He doubted. He doubted for a fraction of a second, I'm alone.
Why have you forsaken me? What did he do?
He didn't surrender to his doubt. But he surrendered to victory. Because the die was already cast.
The truth will win. Surrender.
Humility is seen as a weakness. And I don't understand that. For a so-called God-fearing nation, I don't understand how we see humility as a weakness. How we see surrender as a weakness.
Humility is not a weakness. It is the key that unlocks the ultimate power of God, the ultimate power of Christ, the ultimate power of the universe. Whatever you want to call it. It is the ultimate power.
What is Luke trying to do to Darth Vader? Surrender. Just surrender. Dad, put your sword down, man. I get to take your mask off in the end. You're going to smile at me and say it was all great. You saved me. All you did was surrender.
We can respond to our unfair treatment. We can respond to people who are unkind without being bitter.
Humility means you don't have the need for vengeance or revenge. Humility means you don't have to act like you're bigger than you are.
The better you understand humility, the more you know God, the less you have to prove.
Being humble doesn't mean that you're a pushover. The most humble man that ever lived was Christ, and he threw the table over in the temple. The moneychangers.
It doesn't mean that you don't speak with directness. It means that you've checked yourself and you're speaking with kindness. You're speaking to another human being that doesn't agree with you. And you realize, they may have something to teach me. In fact, I'm sure they do.
So let's have a conversation. Again, you're left with a paradox. The smaller, the smaller -- the smaller you become, the more meek you become. The quieter you become. The more effective you become.
It actually means that in the end, with humility, you're the winner, even though you may have lost that battle.
