Position Seeking

AN ONION once decided that he was not an onion at all, but a tulip bulb. And so he boasted loudly to the other onions that he was bet­ter than they—that he would grow into a gor­geous tulip. Eventually he was planted; he grew, and proved after all to be a little onion! He became the laughingstock of the garden, and was so humiliated that he drooped and died at an early age. Thus he lost his chance to be a superior sort of onion—forgetting in his fruitless ambition that there is need in the world for both onions and tulips." I

We have all known the man who volun­teers for a position, who asks his friends to put in a good word for him, and when passed by, he feels, "If the brethren only knew my qualifications . . ." Yet the in­spired pen says of those who want higher position, "They will be valued for all that they are worth."' This is a humbling thought, is it not, for those of us who have at times felt unappreciated and misunder­stood.

Beware of Self-Pity

There may be times when we are pushed aside or neglected without good cause, but it is always more safe to examine ourselves to see if the fault lies with us. "We need to beware of self-pity. Never indulge the feel­ing that you are not esteemed as you should be, that your efforts are not appreciated." ¹¹

"Kick your way to fame!" These words in a shop window full of football shoes on Main Street, Cape Town, caught my atten­tion one evening while I was waiting for my train. While this may be a legitimate way to become famous in football or soccer, surely we can only mourn the fact that this method has also been known to be used in an attempt for "fame" in God's work. Lis­ten carefully: "The envious man shuts his eyes to the good qualities and noble deeds of others. He is always ready to disparage and misrepresent that which is excellent. . . . The envious man diffuses poison wherever he goes, alienating friends and stirring up hatred and rebellion against God and man. He seeks to be thought best and greatest, not by putting forth heroic, self-denying efforts to reach the goal of excellence himself, but by standing where he is and diminishing the merit due to the efforts of others." "

Wrote Shakespeare, "I am not covetous for gold; . . . But if it be a sin to covet honour, I am the most offending soul alive." While we may not know just what Shakespeare had in mind when he penned these words, it would seem that perhaps he wanted to be honourable, rather than just be honoured—to deserve honor rather than demand it. In this there is no wrong. "Have you thoughts that you dare not express, that you may one day stand upon the summit of intellectual greatness; that you may sit in deliberative and legislative councils, and help to enact, laws for the nation? There is nothing wrong in these aspirations. You may every one of you make your mark. You should be content with no mean attainments. Aim high, and spare no pains to reach the standard."'

No, it is not wrong to qualify yourself to be used in a high position, but we are to pre­pare faithfully and continuously and leave with God and with those "who know [our] worth, and who can understandingly urge [usj forward," the decision as to when we are ready for these higher positions.

"The best way to get out of a lowly posi­tion is to be consistently effective in it," ¹⁴ said someone wise, and more than 200 years ago Joseph Addison wrote, "Tis not in mortals to command success, but we'll do more,—we'll deserve it." "Satan selects his disciples when they are idle; but Christ chose His when they were busy at their work, either mending their nets, or casting them into the sea." " It is those who per­form faithfully their appointed work day by day, who in God's own time will hear His call, 'Come up higher.' " "

If we do not keep busy in our present, appointed task we may never learn "the secret of success in life," which Disraeli said, "is for a man to be ready for his op­portunity when it comes." "

An Important Sign

A genuine reluctance and feeling of un­readiness for a position can often be one important sign that you are qualified. Speaking of young men who walk and talk with God and work diligently where they are, the servant of the Lord says: "When there are vacancies to be filled, you will hear the words, Friend, come up higher. You may be reluctant to advance, but move forward with trust in God, bringing into His work a fresh, honest experience and a heart filled with the faith that works by love and purifies the soul." is

A young man, when hesitating about ac­cepting an invitation to be publishing sec­retary of a rather large conference, was advised by a still younger man with far less experience, "I know what I'd do; I'd jump at the chance!" Strange though it may seem, the eager, courageous-appearing volunteers do not always make the best soldiers. Many a hero has been made of a self-distrustful draftee who may never have joined the army had the decision been left to him. Yet once drafted or called, appointed or assigned, a courageous hero may be born from him who may even think of himself as somewhat of a coward! To be able to say, "Here I am—not by choice but by ap­pointment, not by 'pulling strings' but by unsolicited invitation, not because of a thirst for fame, but from sense of duty"—brings strength out of apparent weakness. "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time."

Humble Men Chosen

"Brethren, if you continue to be as idle, as worldly, as selfish as you have been, God will surely pass you by, and take those who are less self-caring, less ambitious for worldly honor, and who will not hesitate to go, as did their Master, without the camp, bearing the reproach. The work will be given to those who will take it, those who prize it, who weave its principles into their everyday experience. God will choose hum­ble men who are seeking to glorify His name and advance His cause rather than to honor and advance themselves. He will raise up men who have not so much worldly wisdom, but who are connected with Him, and who will seek strength and counsel from above."

"Among many of the ministers of Christ there is a feeling of unrest, . . . a desire to do something great, to create a sensation, to be accounted able speakers, and to gain for themselves honor and distinction. If such could encounter perils and receive the honor given to heroes, they would engage in the work with unflagging energy. But to live and labor almost unknown, to toil and sacrifice for Jesus in obscurity, receiving no special praise from men—this requires a soundness of principle and a steadfastness of purpose that but few possess. Were there a greater effort to walk humbly with God, looking away from men and laboring only for Christ's sake, far more would be accom­plished."