Some of us are willing to learn humility quicker than others. In the past, I’ve shared with you how that in seminary I was blessed to hear the story of Josh McDowell. He had graduated from Wheaton College and Talbot Seminary with top honors; Josh was a gifted speaker with a photographic memory.
When he came on staff with Campus Crusade for Christ (1961) there were people with Crusade at that time who were very jealous of him. They did everything they could to discourage and squash him, including assigning him latrine duty at Crusade headquarters. He was nicknamed “Col. Commode.”
One of Josh’s most memorable moments as “the Colonel” was stepping out of the latrine with his bucket and brush — and meeting Billy Graham and Bill Bright in the hallway!
Josh humbly accepted his station in life, determined he would be the best toilet-scrubber in San Bernardino, and kept at it. Increasing jealousy got him an obscure assignment in South America — where he continued to serve God humbly and faithfully. In due time, God’s time, Josh was vindicated and has been honored with a teaching/speaking ministry probably unparalleled in our time (e.g. Josh has addressed more than 25 million people, giving over 27,000 talks in 125 countries!). Now we see God raising up his son Sean, who is following in his dad’s footsteps. In fact, they recently co-authored a book on Christ’s resurrection!
God’s good intention for Josh — and for us, is not finally getting us to the right place (job, house, town). Rather, it’s shaping us into a people who live solely by our faith in the faithfulness of God. Wherever that happens (scrubbing toilets in San Bernardino, serving God in some obscure place or way), that is precisely the right place to be! As someone recently put it: Once we’ve come to believe that God is with us, the only wrong place to be is away from that blessing!
God gives grace to the humble, the one whose trust and confidence are in Him.