Juggling is humbling. I am betting that many people learn to juggle for every other reason in the world than to learn humility. But juggling is humbling.
There are all kinds of reasons to learn to juggle: to impress your friends, to learn a new skill, to learn a marketable trade, to join the circus, aeorbic excercise, challenge yourself, or just to see if you can. I am betting that no one learns to juggle in order to learn humility.
I learned to juggle years ago, but it wasn't until my family and I attended the Renaissance Festival in Atlanta that I really got excited. The jugglers told stories using the balls or clubs as props in the story. I went home and tried to figure out how to tell the story of Adam and Eve, The Prodigal Son, and the Trinity through the medium of Juggling. I wasn't thinking about humility. I was looking to be the star, the person up front as the crowd oooohed and aaahhhhed. Sadly my juggling skills have never progressed to that level.
I have however spent years leading Chapel for our preschool children. ( chapel consists of two or three songs, a prayer led by Mrs. Lisa, and then my 2-3 minute devotion/object lesson) Once or twice a year I will gather my juggling gear and stumble into Chapel. The children cheer with great anticipation. The first few times I thought their cheers were in appreciation for my limitless skills in tossing multiple objects into the air and the finese' with which I executed my craft. But no, this is where humility was learned. The children weakly clapped as I juggled 3 then 4 balls. They yawned as I juggled clubs and mismatched objects. They seemed distracted when I juggled objects behind my back and under my leg. But let one of those objects hit the floor and great guffaws of laughter pierced the sanctuary. They cheered ever louder when an object bounced off my my head or slipped through my hand.
I am finding it is like that with God too. It is not my ability that matters, but my availability.
