Stand on the Shoulders of Those Who Paved the Way for You. You Didn’t Do It Alone.

Last updated on: August 28, 2017 at 4:59 pm by Paul Louis Metzger

Stand on the Shoulders of Those Who Paved the Way for You. You Didn’t Do It Alone. 2017-08-28T16:59:14-07:00 Paul Louis Metzger

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

“Standing on the shoulders of giants” is a phrase traced back to Bernard of Chartres, who was the first to use it in the modern sense of “seeing further than our predecessors.” Earlier in Greek mythology, the image was different, where the blind giant Orion carries Cedalion as his guide . Creative Commons

Today is my mother’s ninety-first birthday. It is also the beginning of a new academic year. At Convocation Chapel this morning, Multnomah University President Craig Williford drew our attention to the legacy of university professors and administrators of past centuries who suffered greatly for their pursuit of truth. We stand on their shoulders. My mother’s closing words to me in our phone call this morning in which I wished her birthday greetings was how she prays daily for wisdom, anointing and energy in my teaching. I stand on her shoulders, too.

My mother and my father, who passed away five years ago from cancer, were/are simple Christians who sacrificed greatly for their children. Even the doctoral robe I wore today at chapel was their gift to me. I have a debt of gratitude to pay to them. May I never take my mother or my father for granted, Lord. I stand on their shoulders. And just as I reside in my mother’s heart, may she ever reside in mine.

2 Timothy records the Apostle Paul providing Timothy with some of his final instructions. 2 Timothy 2:2 reads, “and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also” (ESV). Compare this text with 2 Timothy 3:10-14 in which Paul speaks of his own faithfulness and reliability in passing along the faith to Timothy. Just as those who follow Timothy stand on his shoulders, so Timothy stands on Paul’s shoulders. We who embrace the Christian faith stand on their shoulders.

I am entrusted with passing on faith in Jesus of Nazareth to those I teach in various contexts, at home, at school, at church, and in multiple other settings. While I have to grade students at my university and seminary on various projects, I will also be graded, and not simply by my peers or classroom evaluations. I will be graded for how well I stood on the shoulders of university professors from across the world from centuries past, the apostolic community, and my parents.

While my mother is the most caring and forgiving person in the world, I don’t want to take her grace for granted. Rather, I want to take ever more seriously my debt to her from birth to the grave and beyond. May I stand on her shoulders and take her in my heart as I live, breathe and teach each day. After all, I first learned the faith from infancy from her and my father, just like Timothy did from his mother and grandmother (2 Timothy 3:15; cf.2 Timothy 1:5).

Lord, may I not be guilty of relational amnesia. May I cherish the costly gift of personal sacrifice, including the daily sacrifice of prayer my mother (and my father) has offered up for my siblings, our families, and me. And may all of us, no matter who we are or where we come from, stand on the shoulders of those who have given their all for us rather than discount and discard them. It does not mean we can’t be original or take giant steps forward, but we can never claim we did it alone. No matter how creative or inspired we might be, the point is not to be head and shoulders above others. Rather, just as we stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before us, we need to shoulder one another’s burdens for the sake of the greater good.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

August 26, 2017

What If Jesus Is Fake News? And What If He’s Not?

Next Post

August 30, 2017 How Would You and Job Rate God’s Customer Service in Addressing Evil?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month June 2025 April 2025 March 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz