Its not because of me, but Him

I am mentioning some reflections on God, that I had today.

Today, we conducted Children's day celebration in our church. During that time, I too got a prize congratulating me for the university rank I got. My mom heads that committee which decided the prize distribution. I was embarrassed. One thing was, all other people got prizes for winning in some competition or the other, but I got for my studies. Another thing was, since my mom headed that committee, giving the prize to me will lead people to think that my mom is trying to bring me to the forefront in that committee. So I asked my mother, why she gave me that prize and embarrassed me in front of so many people.

She said, "Who gave you the prize to praise YOU? We are glorifying what God has done through you. Am not praising you but GOD! I want people to know that when you spend time for God(I play on the keyboard for my church choir), you lose nothing worthwhile in life( because many thought it will be a distraction for my studies, but what happened was quite the opposite, music helped me relax and help me focus on my studies.) "

That answer taught me so many things. Yes, my mom was right. Though I praised and thanked God for giving me that University rank, I was also sure that it happened because I obeyed God. When he asked me to study, I studied, When he asked me to go to church, I went. So, I assumed I got the university rank because of my obedience and God's grace. I never said, I got the university rank on my own, but I was sure that it was a combination of both our efforts, God's and mine.

But my mom's answer made me think. Yes, God helped me get that rank and I obeyed and all. But God could have chosen ANYONE to do that. That 'anyone' would have also 'obeyed' God and would have got a rank. So far, I was glad that God chose me, now I am grateful that God chose me, when he could have chosen anyone. I look back at those four years of my Under Graduation, and I see what a tough time I've given God. He had to pursue me all the time and make me study, when all I wanted to was to go to sleep all day. He had to help me concentrate in class when my mind was distracted by other things. He had to make a stubborn child play on the keyboard when she wanted to just surf aimlessly. He really had a tough time helping me those days. If he had chosen that 'anyone', perhaps, he wouldn't have had such a tough time.

What made him choose me then? I have no answer. I don't need to know. All that matters for now, is that he could have chosen ANYONE.

I realize that my university rank was not because of me, it was because of Him, Him ONLY. If that applies to my university rank, it applies to every area of my life. Today, someone said I played beautifully on the keyboard. That too, is not because of me. God could have trained ANYONE to play on the keyboard. (I know of many people who would love to play for the choir, and God gave me that opportunity which they didn't get. )

I will say that this was a great lesson in humility. It did come upon me hardly, but it was a lesson I needed. There is nothing we can boast of, nothing we have done or accomplished in life that we can be proud of. As St. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 10:17-18 "If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord."

All praise and glory be to Him ONLY!