My Joyful Life

Little i 5 May 2009 Marybeth Whalen "He must become greater; I must become less." John 3:30 (NIV) The other night my husband and i were at an event where the words to the worship music were placed on a screen for all to see. But this night i noticed something: every time they used the word "I" on the screen, it wasn't capitalized. My editor's eye was drawn to this glaring error, and i spent much of the time that i was supposed to be singing trying to discern why they had done this. Oversight? Trying to be cute? It bugged me. Then i felt God's whisper to my heart, causing me to go a bit deeper. "Why are you stressing about capitalizing the i?" He asked me. "Why does it need to be capitalized? Who decided that? Maybe these folks recognize that "i" am not important -- but I AM is." While i am not proposing a little i revolution -- shaking up tradition and causing a crisis in the grammar world -- i am wondering, what does a little i life look like? Sacrifice? Surrender? Slaying self? Setting apart? Seeking Him? Serving others instead of doing what i want? This little i thing could catch on. It should catch on, because it's the life Jesus called us to. We don't need to be capitalized. We need to be small, insignificant -- just a jot and a tittle, the littlest marks in the alphabet. Instead of a capital letter that announces our importance. At least, that's what i am learning these days -- and trying to live out. Sacrifice, surrender and servanthood are hard. But i know that's what God calls us to do; laying down our wants, needs and desires and straining towards His. Dear Lord, I want to make Your name famous and mine unimportant. Help me to be mindful of my tendency to make things about me. And help me Lord t o keep the focus on You. In Jesus' Name, Amen. Related Resources: i am not but i know I AM by Louie Giglio Share with your children the joys of focusing on the Lord with The Tale of Three Trees retold by Angela Elwell Hunt God desires all areas of our lives to be set apart, even our finances. Read Marybeth's story of surrendering to God in this area in Learning To Live Financially Free by Marybeth and Curt Whalen Visit Marybeth's blog Application Steps: While not capitalizing your "i's" might not be proper or practical, journal some ways that you can consciously choose to make Jesus become greater in your daily life as you become less. Reflections: Do you struggle with taking the focus off God and putting it on yourself? Are there certain times or situations when this happens for you? What can you do to change your response when this happens? Power Verses: John 3:31, "The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all." (NIV) © 2009 by Marybeth Whalen. All rights reserved.