A Quick Word on Humility

It is often tempting to believe that I am as smart as I think that I am. So I am thankful to God that there exist persons who can flatten my intellectual pride within moments. One of those is Steve Hays. Whenever I start feeling brilliant, I go and read his blog. Most of the time, I can hardly understand what he is saying. The words make sense, but I am as lost as a freshman in physics class.

This feeling is becoming more and more familiar to me. When I was in college, I fancied myself as a guitar player. What this means is that I could strum G, C, and D and some bar chords. I was a virtuoso in my own little mind. One day while perusing the campus announcement board, I noticed that the guitar genius Eliot Fisk was going to be playing a concert on campus. Since I was a student, admission was free. So I went and watched Mr. Fisk play. It was actually the first time I had ever seen someone hold a guitar correctly. I was such an ignoramus.

Mr. Fisk completely blew me away. From that day forward, I have never, ever even insinuated that I can play the guitar. For much the same reasons, I have given up being a serious apologist, philosopher, or even theologian. I get confused reading the commentary at the Evangelical Outpost. And they aren't even trying to be confusing.

This is not just "aw shucks I'm just an old country boy" schtick. I despise that sort of talk. This is honest-to-goodness fact. If I studied every day, I doubt I could get to where most of these guys are. They see things instantly that I barely understand after they've pointed it out.

So what's my point of this dose of pessimistic self-assessment? First of all, this sort of admission keeps me from pride. Secondly, I am thankful that I can still serve some use, even if I am not the sharpest knife in the drawer. As Forrest Gump famously quipped, "I may not be a smart man, but I know what love is." Fortunately, that just happens to be the singularly greatest virtue of Christendom, and I am confident that I do not have to be a brainiac to excel in this area. So go and read some Steve Hays and others like him and be amazed at the gifts that God has given them. In closing, I am reminded that the beloved Centuri0n claimed to be a "B Team" apologist. If that's true, then I am definitely only on the team because the coach happens to be my dad.