You're Never The Best

I was on a five hour flight the other day and my seatmate had one piece of reading material - The Annals of Tacitus. This is, as I am sure you know, an ancient history of Rome between the years 14-68 AD.

Now, I like history, but this is not my type of flight reading material.

On planes I normally do sermon preparation or writing projects but when I am done with those I read spy novels. Anything to pass the time. My seatmate had me intellectually outclassed. I was at a gunfight with a knife.

I wasn't the smartest guy in the room, the plane, or even row 17.

Truth is, life is ALWAYS like that.

We're never the best, never the smartest, never the most attractive, never the most talented, never the most accomplished. Never the best father, carpenter, DIYer, mother. Never the most spiritually accomplished or virtuous.

You're never the best.

And it's OK. If I can stake the claim that my identity is found in the fact that I am loved, pursued, and accepted by Jesus Christ as demonstrated by his life, death, and resurrection for me I am better than the best.

I am loved. And that is the one thing that can change everything.