A little humility, please

Who does not like success? Those of us who enjoy horse racing (no, I don’t gamble!) love the Cinderella story of a horse named California Chrome, bred and trained by two ordinary guys. Their colt has won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness. If he wins the Belmont Stakes this weekend, he will own the legendary “Triple Crown” of racing.  Steve Coburn, one of his owners, is a press operator in a plant who appears to have handled this success with a measure of humility. He isn’t boasting or claiming genius.  He acknowledges that he made some good choices, saw potential where others did not, and met with a unique set of circumstances that made his a Derby winner’s owner!  He unashamedly cried real tears of joy, humbly telling his interviewers he knew how fortunate he was, when his colt wore the roses in Kentucky.

How do you handle success?  For many of us, it is a bigger issue than how we deal with failure or disappointment. When we are knocked off our feet, more often than not, we reach up.  We know we need help and we readily accept it.  But, when life is good, when we’re winning, the temptation is to congratulate ourselves for our brilliance and to become proud!  Occasionally, we read of a person who has reached some high office or gained great wealth described as a ‘self-made man.’  Without pedigree, private school, or powerful connections, he climbed the ladder.  We should give him the applause he deserves for working hard, for pressing through the difficult times, for developing skills, but nobody is a self-made person!  There are always people in the background – a mother who sacrificed to make an education possible, a friend who encouraged, a spouse who shared the hard times, God who blesses – who own part of the achievement.

The wise person understands that his success, in whatever field it may be, calls for humility. The Bible says that "When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom." (Proverbs 11:2, NIV) Pride that follows success commonly produces a sense of entitlement; “I am so grand, everyone owes me.”  That grandiosity has destroyed many, sabotaging them at the height of their success. Consider these examples-

A person builds a great company and begins to think he is above needed the counsel of others and it comes crashing down.
A politician reaches the office he has desired for decades and is brought down by corruption because he thinks he ‘deserves’ the perks offered to him.
A Christian seeks the Lord, walks faithfully with him, and is blessed with prosperity which he then uses for his own pleasure, abandoning the very God who enriches his life!

Then there are those who understand the truth that God loves to give good gifts to His children and that with those gifts comes greater responsibility and accountability.  We are blessed to be a blessing.  Have you enjoyed the rich blessings of the Lord?  Then, thank Him!  There is no need to hide your success. But remember, it’s not about you. 

"Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.
Better to live humbly with the poor than to share plunder with the proud.
Those who listen to instruction will prosper; those who trust the Lord will be joyful."
(Proverbs 16:18-20, NLT)

___________________

We Are So Blessed

We are so blessed

By the gifts from Your hand.

I just can't understand

Why You've loved us so much.

We are so blessed,

We just can't find a way,

Or the words that can say,

“Thank You, Lord, for Your touch!”

When we're empty, You fill us

'Til we overflow.

When we're hungry, You feed us

And cause us to know.

We are so blessed,

Take what we have to bring,

Take it all, ev'rything,

Lord, we love You so much!

We are so blessed

By the things You have done,

The vict'ries we've won,

And what You've brought us through.

We are so blessed,

Take what we have to bring,

Take it all ev'rything,

Lord, we bring it to You!

Gloria Gaither | Greg Nelson | William J. Gaither

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