They Must Increase, I Must Decrease

December of 2013 was my best December as far back as I can remember. December of 2014 was the most miserable. December 2013, Anabelle and I were busy preparing for Macky’s and Lani’s wedding and catching up with friends we have not seen for a long time and will not see again for a while. December 2014, I got caught up in my own hurts and disappointments and wallowed in self-deprecation, even nursing the pain and misery.

Lesson learned: there is great joy and happiness in giving to others; there is only pain and misery in being too self-engrossed and full of oneself.

As I grow older, my footprint here on earth is getting smaller and smaller. When I was younger, I could really feel my footprint was rather sizable. There were a lot of people I knew. There were a lot of projects I was involved in. My decisions affected a lot of people and may depended on them.

Today, my days are pretty much the same from day to day. I interact with a small group of people everyday and they are always the same. I have a feeling though that I will be remembered most by the things I will be doing these days. I may be decreasing but in that very same process, I am making my loved ones increase. And my faith increases with them.

The Lord takes delight in his people.
~ Psalm 149

Now a dispute arose between the disciples of John and a Jew
about ceremonial washings.
So they came to John and said to him,
“Rabbi, the one who was with you across the Jordan,
to whom you testified,
here he is baptizing and everyone is coming to him.”
John answered and said,
“No one can receive anything except what has been given from heaven.
You yourselves can testify that I said that I am not the Christ,
but that I was sent before him.
The one who has the bride is the bridegroom;
the best man, who stands and listens for him,
rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice.
So this joy of mine has been made complete.
He must increase; I must decrease.”
John 3:26-30