This year of 2008 for me has been one of grasping the fact that as one pursues true spirituality they bump into many paradoxes.
Sometime ago I was having a conversation with a friend & we were discussing how we were going with various things. When we came to the topic of humility they said what I coined as the quote of the day “Yeah, I am doing pretty well with humility”. Immediately we both laughed at the irony of the statement.
I think this conversation highlights well a common struggle in our understanding of humility; it is definitely one I am still wrestling with & have been doing for many years.
So what does the Bible have to say about it?
In James is says
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
And in Proverbs
Humility and fear of the LORD bring wealth and honour and life.
So from reading scriptures it is easy to see the high plato God puts humility on yet sadly it is something so little talked about, at least in the circles I move. Why is that? I mean if it says in the Bible that humility can bring wealth then why are we not hearing this more in “get rich schemes” or even incorporated into the “prosperity doctrine”?
One reason for this I believe is that humility can’t be faked & unlike many other things we pursue it’s not generally something rewarded well for by man. Unlike feeding the hungry, preaching, getting a promotion or even writing blogs not many Kudos are given out for those reaching higher (or maybe lower) levels of humility. Actually from my experience those with the best hold of humility within my life have often been overlooked for years until “God lifts them up” as the scripture says.
So this brings me to the reason for my post. Just this morning I was speaking to a good friend about this topic, a 70 year old lady who lives in my community. The discussion over this topic was brief but impacting & covered the fact that as I have already said “there are many people who manage to get into great positions of authority whilst seemingly having a great root of pride in their life”.
To be honest it freaks me out that this can happen especially when scripture shows God doesn’t exalt the prideful so it must be us doing that. What I am realising more & more is that humility not charisma nor leadership ability is what is required to bring positive change in the world.
So today I pray humility not pride will rule in my life & yours if we honestly desire to change the world for good to the glory of God.
Thanks Dan for your insights and humility in sharing this with everyone. It was really refreshing to read this today. God is showing me a lot about humility in parenting. I often feel so overwhelmed with the responsibility of doing it ‘right’ when I know I need to learn from God, who is the ultimate example of what it means to be a parent. Thanks.
Hey Dan!
I didn’t know you had a blog!
Speaking of humility – I’ve heard it said, don’t trust anyone without a limp. In other words, people that have been broken and humbled by God are the best influences.
God Bless!
Jon D.