It is Happy to Go Low

Oh, what joy it is to race
Down to find the lowest place,
This the dearest law we know—
”It is happy to go low."

This was the song of the rushing streams that went from up the mountains and down the foothills, in the book Hinds' Feet on High Places. It reflects one of the most profound realities and principles in life, and yet one of the most overlooked.

The World's Noise

In a world that screams at us like officers would to their cadets, or perhaps, parents would to their lazy children, we are taught that success must be defined by more—more money, more titles, more connections, more output, more profit, more equipment, more gadgets, more followers—the list. goes. on.

Royalty, or even respect, clearly, is a matter of high status. And we are to break our necks, forfeit rest, reject people, even loved ones, who slow us down, all for the cause of reaching the peak. But not just to reach it—to reach it as fast as possible.

Society's "Freaks"

And so isn't it a peculiar thing to come across a person who identifies as Christian, and see them not at the peaks of the kind of success the world craves, and yet, you find them with joy and contentment—often to your resentment and envy?

What are they thinking to make them this joyful? What self-help books have they read to arrive at this? What diet are they on? How on earth are they content with a little? And how can they give even the little they have away? What secret have they found that I can't seem to see?

The answer is annoyingly simple.

They live according to life's original design. They are not naïve, for they know the most brutal facts of life—most likely have experienced it themselves. But they take those realities and reassess the true meaning of success and meaning in life without simply acquiringit from society, which is what most of society does.

Shallow Depth of Field

The hustle culture and the fast-paced living is a facade. This much is clear. People strive for this, not because they know what success really is, but because they've heard tales of the glory of men who only show the tip of the iceberg, and mysteriously hide the rest of the story. People see the peak of the storyline, but rarely are shown the downfall shortly after. And since we act upon what we see—the facade—we assume that purchasing a superman costume is the secret ingredient to becoming a hero. It's like eating the candy wrapper and wondering why you can't taste the sweetness. Society often misses the point.

The Eyes of the Believer

But this is how the Christian views the world: that it is created and governed by a God who is all-knowing, mighty and powerful—who occupies the highest throne there could ever exist in the universe. He has all the riches, all the power, all the knowledge. Talk about ideal.

But get this: that is only part of what makes Him so great. It's only half the story. What sets Him apart is this: that from the greatest throne and the highest power, beyond the mortal and vulnerable clothing of a human, in His love, He has chosen to step away from His holy seat, to behuman. Think about it. From the highest ranking in the universe, in the safest and most wonderful City of all, He chose to be a human prone to danger, violence and suffering. From the position of the Creator, He chose to wear the garment of creation.

And so it's no wonder how curious a thing it must be to the outsider who judges the book by its cover without even reading it, or a child who rages in refusal to taste an unfamiliar food without even trying it, against a mother who expects such initial reaction. But that is what sets believers apart from the non-believer. They have tasted the joy of actually humbling themselves and being in the lowest places where they have found if not just as much, even far greater joy, because it was there in the valley that they have found and known the King and Good Shepherd.

Be Lowly

Oh, what a joy it is to race
Down to find the lowest place,
This the dearest law we know—
"It is happy to go low."

Is it a secret law? Or is it simply the law that many have refused to live by?

Have you found joy in the way that you are living? If not, then perhaps you've been walking along the path to deceptive happiness. I don't blame you—it's wider than this one. But you won't find joy until you see it for yourself.