I Am Nothing By Myself
Written by Lucy Honeysett
That’s not a very cheery opener is it! I wonder if you sometimes feel like nothing. Nothing left in the tank. Nothing in comparison to others. Most of us think of nothing as a negative, dirty word. We want to be somebodies; important and capable. Nothing implies weakness, loss and insignificance.
Over the summer I read a wonderful book* that showed me that Jesus didn’t feel this way. Nothingness didn’t scare him.
‘(Jesus), being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing’ (Phil 2:6-7)
Describing his relationship with the Father, Jesus spoke of himself using lots of nothings and nots. Spot the nothings and nots here!
‘… the Son can do nothing by himself’ (Jn 5:19)
‘By myself I can do nothing…’ (Jn 5:30)
‘I do not accept glory from human beings…’ (Jn 5:41)
‘For I have come down from heaven not to do my will…’ (Jn 6:38)
‘My teaching is not my own’ (Jn 7:16)
‘I am not here on my own authority…’ (Jn 7:28)
… I do nothing on my own…’ (Jn 8:28)
‘I have not come on my own; God sent me’ (Jn 8:42)
‘I am not seeking glory for myself…’ (Jn 8:50)
‘The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority’ (Jn 14:10)
‘These words you hear are not my own…’ (Jn 14:24)
As I read these verses, it really hit me that Jesus didn’t need to see himself as nothing. He is God and therefore didn’t need to depend on the Father like he did. But I believe he’s showing us how he and we can be the best version of ourselves; how we can flourish, how we can live as God intended, how we can find hope, confidence and peace. Accepting our nothingness and surrendering our striving, and instead, leaning fully into the all-ness of God is where we’ll be blessed. Jeremiah 17:7 says, ‘Blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence’.
If I’m asked to share a favourite song, it’s often Lou Fellingham’s Everlasting Arms/Lean hard** that I’m drawn to. It speaks wonderfully of our Father’s full giving when we feel like we have nothing less to give and his invitation to lean into him. And yet, I then ponder on the repetition of the line ‘lean hard’ in the chorus. How can I lean ‘hard’? As I imagine leaning against a wall, I notice I’m either leaning or I’m not. But my default is to put my own effort into something, to add myself to the situation, or to top up God’s free gift of grace with my good works. So, this chorus reminds me that if I’m adding any effort, it is to lean even harder into God!
So, I welcome you to embrace the nothingness of ourselves and the all-ness of God as we lean (hard!) into him.
*Neighbourhoods Reimagined. Chris and Elizabeth McKinney. 10 Publishing.
** Lou Fellingham Everlasting Arms (Lean Hard) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1pmHX5GvVI