Outdone

Have you ever seen a humble fight? I witnessed one in Camrose, Alberta, once. Two farmers were negotiating the sale of a truck. The first offer from the buyer was given and the owner scoffed, “Way too much! It’s probably worth half that.”

The negotiating continued in this backwards way, the owner trying to get a lower price and the buyer trying to pay more. Finally, the buyer was exasperated and said, “Fine, I’m outdone, I’ll pay less.” The owner grudgingly took more while the buyer paid as much as possible. This is mutual love.

It’s funny, but a good illustration of outdoing one another with honour and ultimately a beginning of understanding God’s honour given to us, an honour that we can’t even make an offer for; we are utterly outdone by God’s promise and love given to us.

We are outdone! Thanks be to God! How do you work this honour to those who can’t pay you?

God of honour, you honour me with grace and love and mercy. I am outdone as I cannot pay. Thank you. Help me to move through the rest of life in this way. Amen. — SB