Jet Mariano

Tag: Humility

  • MIT-8 “Humility, It Is Not in Me, Joseph in Egypt, Genesis 41:16”

    At the temple steps during the blue hour, I am reminded of Joseph’s words: “It is not in me.” Every gift, every solution, and every success ultimately comes from God.

    Excerpt
    “It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace” (Genesis 41:16).

    Intro
    Some of the most powerful moments in scripture are not when someone demonstrates great ability, but when they refuse to take credit for it. Joseph had a remarkable gift. Yet when the opportunity came to impress Pharaoh, he made something clear: the power did not belong to him.

    Notes from Scripture
    Joseph had already experienced how powerful dreams could be. His own dreams had stirred anger among his brothers and eventually led to betrayal, slavery, and prison. Yet the same spiritual gift that placed him in difficult circumstances later became the instrument that lifted him out of prison and into a position of great influence in Egypt.

    When two fellow prisoners struggled to understand their dreams, Joseph asked a simple question: “Do not interpretations belong to God?” (Genesis 40:8).

    Later, when Pharaoh called for him to interpret troubling dreams, Joseph again refused to claim the gift as his own:

    “It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace” (Genesis 41:16).

    A similar humility appears in the account of Ammon. After witnessing a miracle, King Lamoni asked him directly, “Art thou sent from God?” (Alma 18:33). Ammon replied:

    “I am a man; and man in the beginning was created after the image of God, and I am called by his Holy Spirit to teach these things unto this people, that they may be brought to a knowledge of that which is just and true;”

    Alma 18:34–35

    These servants of God understood something important. Spiritual power does not originate with the person through whom it flows.

    Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf shared a similar lesson from his early experience as a General Authority. During a drive to a stake conference, President James E. Faust offered counsel that stayed with him:

    “They will treat you very kindly. They will say nice things about you.”
    He then added with a smile,
    “Dieter, be thankful for this. But don’t you ever inhale it.”

    “Pride and the Priesthood,” October 2010 general conference

    Perspective
    Pride often creeps in quietly. A small success can tempt us to believe the accomplishment belongs entirely to us. But the scriptures repeatedly remind us that ability, insight, and opportunity come from a higher source.

    In my own work in IT, some of the most difficult problems never resolve through one person alone. A breakthrough often comes after collaboration with vendors, coworkers, and teammates who bring their own insights to the table. Over the years I have learned that no man is an island. When something finally works after hours of troubleshooting, I try to remember that inspiration, patience, and teamwork all play a role.

    Many times the solution arrives in a way that feels bigger than personal ability. In those moments I quietly remember Joseph’s words: “It is not in me.” The credit belongs to God, and also to the people He places around us.

    Practice (today, not someday)
    Today I will recognize the contributions of others and acknowledge the source of my own abilities. When something succeeds, I will thank the teammates who helped and remember that inspiration often comes from beyond myself.

    Final Reflection
    Great servants of God accomplish remarkable things, yet they remain careful not to claim ownership of the power behind them. Their humility becomes part of their strength.

    Pocket I’m Keeping
    “It is not in me.”

    What I Hear Now
    “They will treat you very kindly… but don’t you ever inhale it.” — President James E. Faust

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  • Waiting for Wings: Patience, Light, and a Morning Butterfly

    Morning butterfly perched on a dew-tipped blade of grass, reflected in still water as sun rays break through—an image of quiet patience and light.

    Excerpt

    Patience is not indifference—it’s caring deeply and trusting God’s timing. This image came from quiet hours beside dew and light, waiting for a butterfly to choose the leaf.

    Intro

    Elder Neal A. Maxwell taught that patience is “caring very much” while submitting to “the process of time.” It partners with faith, agency, humility, and love. Photographers know that rhythm: you prepare, you wait, you don’t rush the scene—and grace arrives.

    Link to the Devotional

    “Patience” by Elder Neal A. Maxwell (BYU Devotional)

    Notes from Elder Maxwell

    • Patience isn’t passive; it’s faithful submission to God’s wiser timetable.
    • We “run with patience,” not a sprint—enduring well, not merely long.
    • Patience protects agency—we don’t force outcomes or people.
    • It ripens discernment: we learn what matters most and let lesser things rest.
    • Tribulation “worketh patience,” which yields experience and the “peaceable fruit of righteousness.”

    Photo Field Notes

    Early-morning dew, low angle, and stillness. I set a full-frame body with a Nikon 105mm f/2.8G on a spider tripod, remote trigger attached. I hid off-axis, letting the leaf steady and the light settle. The butterfly came only when the world quieted enough to feel safe. Exposure and focus were ready—the rest required waiting.

    Perspective

    Macro work is a sermon in inches. If I keep opening the “oven door,” the scene falls flat. When I trust the light, honor the creature’s freedom, and wait, the frame fills with reverence. So it is with discipleship: God’s work in us is real but rarely rushed.

    Practice (today, not someday)

    • Replace one hurry with one holy pause.
    • Let someone else’s agency breathe; resist “fixing.”
    • Choose one worthy thing and stay with it past the fidgets.
    • Pray, “Let patience have her perfect work in me.”

    Final Reflection

    Patience is obedience prolonged—faith that keeps the shutter half-pressed until grace enters the frame. God’s timing is not late; it is luminous.

    Pocket I’m Keeping

    “Patience makes possible a personal spiritual symmetry.” (Maxwell)

    What I Hear Now

    Wait with Me. I’m shaping both the moment and you.

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  • Marked in Time – Sep 12, 2025 – “Meek and Lowly” (Elder Neal A. Maxwell)

    Manila woke to a sky of soft fire, and the spires answered. The world often mistakes meekness for weakness, but heaven doesn’t. Meekness is how we hear the ‘still, small voice’ in a loud century, how we keep working without being seen, how we forgive when no one claps. In that quiet courage, the Lord gives what He promised—rest for the soul and light for the road.

    Excerpt

    Meekness isn’t weakness—it’s the enabling power to wear Christ’s yoke, learn of Him, and endure well. It quiets pride, softens intellect, and turns stumbling blocks into stepping stones.

    Intro

    Today I revisited Elder Neal A. Maxwell’s 1986 devotional, “Meek and Lowly.” The world treats meekness as quaint; heaven calls it essential: “For none is acceptable before God, save the meek and lowly in heart” (Moroni 7:44). Jesus invites, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly” (Matthew 11:29). Meekness is the key that makes discipleship possible—steady work, quiet strength, and “thanksgiving daily” even in stern seasons.

    Straight line

    Wear His yoke, learn of Him. Meekness is how disciples are taught by the Yoke-Master—an education for mortality and eternity.

    Do good—and don’t weary. Maxwell stacks the stretch: do good and don’t faint; endure and endure well; forgive and forgive “seventy times seven.”

    Drop the heavy baggage. Meekness sheds fatiguing insincerity, hunger for praise, and the “strength-sapping quest for recognition.”

    Meekness deepens discipleship. God gives challenges to keep us humble (Ether 12:27). Meekness steadies us when misrepresented or misunderstood.

    One missing virtue matters. Like the rich young ruler, other strengths can’t compensate for missing meekness—it alters decisions and destiny.

    A friend of true education. “Humbleness of mind” opens us to things we “never had supposed” (Moses 1:10); without it we’re “ever learning” yet missing truth (2 Tim. 3:7).

    Pride is in all our sins. Meekness breaks those polished chains—resentment, offense-hunting, murmuring, and small, myopic views of reality.

    Ears to hear. The meek listen long enough to recognize the Shepherd’s voice and turn “rocks of offense” into stepping stones.

    Grace flows to the meek. “His grace is sufficient” (Ether 12:26). Without meekness there is no sustained faith, hope, or charity (Moroni 7:43–44).

    Line upon line. Meekness partners with patience—time to absorb, repent, and be made strong in weak places (Ether 12:27; 2 Nephi 28:30).

    Final reflection

    Meekness is not passivity; it’s power under covenant. It lets Christ carry the kingdom while we do our duty, turns offense into learning, and keeps us rejoicing when no one’s clapping. If I would know the Lord better, I must wear His yoke longer.

    Pocket I’m keeping

    • Wear His yoke → learn of Him
    • Do good and don’t weary
    • Shed praise-hunger; drop old grievances
    • Listen longer; recognize His voice
    • Ask “rightly,” wait “line upon line”
    • Let grace make weak things strong

    What I hear now

    “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me… and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” (Matthew 11:29)

    Link to the talk

    BYU Devotional — “Meek and Lowly” (Neal A. Maxwell, Oct 21, 1986)

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    For usage terms, please see the Legal Disclaimer.

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