A history lesson in humility from Scotland
Jeanna and I love Ireland and was privileged to be able to go back this year and visit as well as visiting Scotland and England along the way. One of our first stops in Scotland was a beautiful Cathedral that was built before the Great Reformation. I couldn’t help but notice atop the beautiful edifice adorning the steeple was a rooster. This may seem strange to some, but knowing why it was there is a pretty interesting little factoid in history.
After the Great Reformation many church’s that had broken away from the Catholic Church began to use the rooster atop their church steeples as a sign of humility, why? This was to remind themselves that even though Peter the cornerstone for many religious leaders at the time was sure of himself, yet he denied Christ not once, not twice, but three times even after being warned before hand that he would in fact do it. So the rooster became a symbol for many at the time to stay humble, so much so that parishioners started putting it on the top of their homes and barns too. This very common symbol and reminder eventually became the iconic weathervane we still see today.
What makes this stop even more interesting is the grave site the church built on a hill behind the great cathedral. On the hillside overlooking all of Glasgow this incredible burial site was built directly behind the great cathedral. Nothing strange there right? Maybe, maybe not? The burial sites, mausoleums, and memorials erected on the site would rival most 21st century apartment complexes today. Now it’s common for mausoleums to be fairly large but these were 2x and 3x the size of the largest most would ever see today or even then. And it wasn’t just one or two but acres of ginormous monuments to the deceased and beloved members and family from the congregation. So what motivated the exorbitant honor that was so lavishly bestowed on so many? According to church history and church historians, pride. Yes that’s right, pride. The church was proud of how it was “more humble” than those “others” it had broken away from. After all it had a rooster reminding them!
If you’ve been in church for anytime in today’s time period you might think this thousand year old story is current events. Isn’t it amazing how pride can trip us up so easily. In a podcast this past week I was sharing about lessons I’d learned over the past 20+ years as an entrepreneur. I told the audience that night that my greatest wins came about because I was humble enough to listen to people I’d otherwise not want to, and likewise my greatest failures were because I was too proud to listen to others I’d deemed unworthy of my attention. It seems for me at least this is a daily lesson that requires much of my time and focus to learn. After all if this little history lesson has taught me anything is to alway remember, just when you think you’ve learned how to stay humble, you’re quickly tempted to fall back even further.
Yes He truly does promote the humble and resists the proud. I know there’s a popular catch phrase that say’s, “stay thirsty my friend.” However I encourage you and myself to keep your thirst on Him and His way.
Blessings,
