A long time ago one of my uncle’s advised me that success in life would require self-promotion. His line stuck with me: “He who tooteth not his own horn, the same shall not be tooted.” While the line was humorous, his advice was serious. Think about it. Who do we tend to admire – the person who gathers attention or the one who works quietly in the background?
Several times in my work as a Pastor it was part of my responsibility to select assistants. I quickly learned to read between the lines of the resumes that were submitted looking for inflation in their descriptions of actual work and experience.
We are all tempted to try to look better than we are, to carefully tend to an image that distorts reality, or to seek to shape the world around us to our personal preferences, don’t we?
Christians are called to a different way of living, built around a trait that few desire – humility. The Scripture speaks to this point repeatedly.
- Jesus said- "whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:4, NIV)
- Paul urges us to "Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love." (Ephesians 4:2, NIV)
- James is clear- "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up." (James 4:10, NIV)
Humility is an indispensable trait in the character of
the godly.
Humility is foundational to living in harmony with others.
Humility defuses anger.
It facilitates forgiveness.
It gives value to those who are wounded or broken, viewing people as being
worthy of respect.
Humility allows us to strengthen our relationship with God as we surrender the need to ‘have our own way,’ when we come on bended knee and with an open heart before Him.
Some confuse humility with a lack of healthy self-esteem. That is untrue. Humility does not ask to say ‘I am worthless” nor does it require that we hide our abilities and/or skills. What humility does require is our use of those things in service to God and others.
When we have come to know ourselves, our strengths, our weaknesses, our gifts and callings; we need no longer pretend, nor will we feel the need to try to find applause to validate our worthiness. Truly humble people do not need to please others or to copy the trends that would make them ‘cool.’ (Yes, I am a person from the 1970’s)
Don’t make the mistake of thinking that humility says – “I don’t care what you think, I march to the beat of my own drummer!” It willingly serves, readily adapts to the greater good. Isaiah reminds us that "The eyes of the arrogant man will be humbled and the pride of men brought low; the Lord alone will be exalted in that day. The Lord Almighty has a day in store for all the proud and lofty, for all that is exalted (and they will be humbled)." (Isaiah 2:11-12, NIV)
Humility is both a work of the Holy Spirit in us and a part of character that demands cultivation. There are real choices to be made if we want to grow in this grace.
First step is to acknowledge Christ as Lord. Every day we renew our submission to His rule. Almost every day, among the first thoughts in mind is a prayer – “Lord, this is your day, I am your servant. May You be honored by my thought, word, and action.” (Sin being what it is, I fall short of that aspiration too frequently!)
Second step is honest confession of need, of sin, of reliance on His grace and goodness. WE are absolutely dependent on the Holy Spirit moment by moment for real holiness. Without the life of the Spirit actively working in us as we give ourselves to Him, we cannot please God.
If you think you are capable of living for Christ Jesus without daily dependence, without real prayer, without learning the Truth of the Word, without remaining in close fellowship with other Christians – you are deceived by pride, attempting ‘cool’ Christianity, an impossibility.
The third step is the choice to serve, to give away the
need to be first, to be recognized. That is much more difficult than it
sounds, believe me!
When you pray for humility to develop, prepare for struggle! Self does not die
without a fight. And then, bow your head, open your heart, and learn to lean,
like a child, on the complete sufficiency of the Father.
Here is a word from the Word. Peter directs us to rely on
God for promotion.
"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand,
that he may lift you up in due time." (1 Peter 5:6, NIV)
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