This piece tries to picture a consistent downward movement. The great hymn of Phillippians 2 sings of the great downward movement of Christ, a downwardness that Paul encourages us to join in with.
The whole of scripture seems to be a downward movement. In Genesis, God moves from himself to the heavens finally down to the dust to create humankind. In Revelation the new Jerusalem comes down from heaven and God comes down to be with his people.
Losing one’s status is very hard. All cultures take fairly drastic steps not to lose status. Fathers kill their daughters for causing dishonour. Parents work themselves to death for the sake of keeping up with the peers of their children. Bankers embrace evil lies. Rulers massacre their own people.
Over the years I’ve felt a real loss of status. I haven’t kept up with my peers. My employment is dicey and I have none of the status possessions like a house or a car. This grates on me especially since I want my own daughters to keep up and have the full possible access to the life this world can offer. Obviously I have lot to be thankful for. But not keeping with those I grew up with, does grate.
Yet as scripture shows and the piece illustrates, God embraces the downward, status down.
At the moment, I’m thinking a lot about what could have been had I pushed myself harder as an undergrad, or done a Master’s rather than getting a job … but then, if I had done those things, I wouldn’t be me now. It’s for God to judge whether that’s a bad thing or not!