So often, God puts us in places where we least expect to find ourselves. What the mechanics of that are is not clear to me – I certainly do not believe in a God who uses humanity as if we were pieces on a chess board, moving us around on a whim or due to some fancy. That having been said, very often I find myself in places and situations that go way beyond anything I would be comfortable explaining by chance or serendipity.

Last weekend I had the joy filled experience of being one of the consecrating bishops for my spiritual mother, The Rt. Rev. Mother Joan SalmonCampbell. Every ordination or consecration is a humbling experience for me, but this one was especially so. Immediately after the ceremony, I was overcome with a feeling of humility and unworthiness. I asked my wife, “Who am I to be standing here having consecrated this holy and wonderful woman who has served God in so many ways?”

The answer, of course, is that if worthiness depended on any of us alone then none of us are worthy. Very often I find myself rather sickened by clergy who make great professions of humility and unworthiness that are obviously affectations by virtue of the fact that the “humble” person goes on an on about themselves. On the other hand, true humility won’t allow for such statements, for true humility is a mystical experience that transcends words.

The comfort in all of this is that we have a God who has declared us acceptable and loved long before we were born. Pray that we may use that knowledge to move forward to accomplish more and more – never losing sight of the fact that it isn’t about us at all.