“Jesus made himself nothing, and we were willing to label him a villain and treat him as our scapegoat to reap the benefits,” Sauls went on to write. “Compelled by love for his enemies, he embraced the role. He was born for it. It’s why Christmas happened.”
“Following Christ includes being less concerned with chasing platform, power, likes, follows, ‘influencer’ vibes, and winning, and more focused on getting low,” Sauls continued. “The way up is the way down. We ascend by descending. We become more by becoming less.”
He added that “getting low” sometimes “means accepting loss and obscurity if that’s what it takes to be at home with Christ. It means valuing steady, humdrum faithfulness more than shiny, shallow platforms…It means chasing character more than chasing reputation.”
“I don’t know how your year has been, but 2023 has been hard for my family and me. This includes losing two family members and a mentor, etcetera,” Sauls reflected. “But none of our losses can compare to the ones Mary and Joseph bore, nor can our virtue compare to theirs. But like them, we have the constancy of Christ, love in our home, and the kindness of friends who walk with us as we weather, together, our shared human frailty.”
“By themselves, the harder chapters of life can discourage,” Sauls wrote. “But as Mary knew early on, the long view will eventually prevail. With God, future glory will resolve all past regret, present hurt, and future fear.”
 in Nashville, Scott Sauls reflected on Advent, influencer culture, and “chasing character more than chasing reputation.”){kind=link}