This month’s theme of humility is a difficult one!  I know that it is good to not think of ourselves as the center of the universe.  But when is it better to be humble?  And when should we be proud of ourselves?   One example is our ‘winning’ the prize of becoming a “Threshold Congregation” within our UUA region.  This ‘win’ has quickly turned into a rather humbling experience for me.  As a result of this designation, UUCMC has become a laboratory for growth, experimentation and change.  And as our Threshold Team tries to articulate a growth plan, we are stirring up all kinds of trouble, as we admit we are not perfect at some things, that we want to be better and do not have all the answers.

Learning is humbling that way.  But I think our desire to learn and grow is based on the right motivation.  It is right to want to deepen our faith and to share it with the world. 

To be successful though, we may need to take this advice from Alcoholics Anonymous: “The challenge is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less often.”  If we are to expand and grow our ministry, it will mean that each of us will serve a grander vision for Unitarian Universalism in Monmouth County than just our own wants might describe.  We’ll move from being consumers, to people motivated by a desire to serve. Such service is indeed humbling, but when it has a reason, a grand vision attached to it, it is a bold and exciting way to live!

Yours in service,

Rev. Virginia