“HUMILITY, SCHOLARSHIP AND THE PATH OF OUR CONTRIBUTIONS”

“The enemy of the best is the good.”  (Jerry Rice and/or Stephen Covey?)

“The enemy of the best and the good is perfectionism.”  (Down To Earth Believer)

I had a good day yesterday.  I went to a twelve-step meeting, and then hit all three of “my” libraries—CCU, HUC, and the Athenaeum Library at St. Mary’s.  Lots of good bibliographic material on Paul’s use of Scripture, Habakkuk, and Romans 1:17!  In fact, too much material!

When I was in high school and just beginning to do (more or less) academic papers, I would get several books on whatever topic I was working on, but it was never enough.  I would read the books—or at least parts of them.  Then I (and my long-suffering Mom) would be up all night putting the paper together the night before it was due.  How she put up with me is more than I will ever know.

Research is good.  Checking to see what others have said on a given topic is important.  However, in my case, this necessary research is out of control, like a resistant mold.

And where does this lust for more resources come from?  It comes from my feeling that I really have nothing worthwhile to contribute to the discussion.  But, of course, I can point you in the direction of some worthwhile contributions.

So, what is the alternative?  To do no research?  To just wing it, and say what I think I ought to say?

Perhaps not.  Perhaps the right path is the path that threads the needle between two deep ravines.  On the one hand, there is overconfidence in my own contributions to the knowledge of God’s Word.  In order to avoid falling into this ravine, I do need to do research.  My contributions, in order to be good contributions, need to be at least somewhat aware of the contributions of others.

However, the ravine I’m more likely to fall into is the “I-haven’t-read-all-the-relevant-materials-so-how-can-I-possibly-make-a-contribution” ravine.  If I am to avoid falling into this error, I need to be humble enough to admit that I will never know “enough.”  (For me, “enough” means everything.)

Ironically, humility is the antidote to both of these errors, because (ironically) both of these deep ravines are a result of pride.  If I think that I can make a worthwhile contribution without consulting others, that is a complacent form of pride.  However, complacent pride is still pride.

And if I think that I have nothing of my own to say, that is a form of false humility.  And false humility is just pride that disguises itself in rags of its own making.

So, today, by the grace of God, I will read some of the contributions of others to the topic of my scholarly paper.  But I will also write down what I think.  I will let humility keep me on the path that I need to travel today.

What about you?  You may not be a scholar.  That is good!  If we were all scholars, we would all starve to death.  Those of us who are scholars have our own contributions to make.  They are neither more nor less important than the contributions of others.  But, in what ways can you value the contributions of others, while at the same time valuing and making your own contributions?  I dare you to be humble enough to walk that path!

I double-dog dare you!!