Archives for August 25, 2025

Devotion

“Do not put yourself forward in the king’s presence or stand in the place of the great, for it is better to be told, ‘Come up here,’ than to be put lower in the presence of a noble.”

Being “put lower” is never pleasant—by a king or by a seminary professor. Some twenty years ago I had written what I thought was a clever critique on Saint Augustine’s “On Christian Doctrine” and imagined a positive response. On entering class, the professor gave us all an appraising look and said, “My, aren’t we all very wise and learned.”

I knew immediately that I had not treated the reading with the respect it deserved. The professor’s comment compelled me to change the way I approached a text. Instead of asking, “What can I refute?” or “What can I deny?” I began to ask, “What is true?” “What is lovely?” and “What nurtures faith?” We are not lifted higher by finding fault or looking for inconsistencies in others. Rather, when we nurture and defend the reputation of others, we create a world of understanding.