Humble?
By Susan Klein
“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.”
James 4:10 (NIV)
Have you ever
wrestled with the concept of humility? Merriam Webster defines “humble” as a spirit of deference or submission, being
unpretentious or insignificant. Similarly,
the Cambridge English Dictionary declares being humble as tending to consider yourself as having no special importance that makes
you better than others. Are these
accurate definitions? Should I truly believe I am insignificant, and have no
special importance?
C.S. Lewis’s book The Screwtape Letters is a creative exchange of notes between two
demons, one of whom is assigned to oversee a human. Screwtape warns Wormwood
that his “patient” is becoming humble. He encourages Wormwood to make the man aware of this virtue, thus when he
proclaims himself to be humble, he will, in actuality, be prideful of his own
humility. Has this ever happened to you? Maybe you’ve done a good deed in
secret, then, felt pretty good about yourself afterward. Or have you ever been
in a conversation with someone and intentionally downplayed a personal success
you’ve had so you’ll come across as humble? Some would consider trying to
exercise humility as an exercise in futility!
We can misinterpret
dictionary definitions, assuming we must belittle ourselves or not accept others’
praise for our accomplishments. God has purposefully gifted each of us in
unique ways, with character qualities that He desires for us to recognize and
enjoy. We need not minimize personal areas of strength. Jesus, the epitome of
humility, never demeaned Himself publicly. So how exactly does one remain
humble without becoming prideful of his/her own humility?
I think C.S. Lewis
has a wonderful perspective of this word. In his book Mere Christianity, he
states, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself
less.” In other words, a truly humble man will not be thinking about his own
humility; he will not be thinking about himself at all. In his heart, he will
admit he struggles with pride, but he will choose not to dwell on either his
pride or his humility. Instead, He will choose to focus on God and on others, thus
making himself less important.
Perhaps we could say
that humility is more of an attitude than an action. The closer we draw to God,
and the more we desire His will, the more humble our attitude toward others
will become. We won’t have to strive for it, He will do the work in us.
“Take
my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in
heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (1)
GOING DEEPER:
1. Who in your life is a good
example of humility? Why?
2. Are you willing to take on Jesus’
yoke and learn from Him?
FURTHER
READING:
Susan is married to Mark, and
co-leads an in-home small group. She serves as a mentor to young women, and is
a member of Oakwood’s Peace Team, helping people work through conflict.
