A few years ago there was a song with the line "O Lord, it's hard to be humble, when you're perfect in every way!" Although it was a tongue-in-cheek hit, there was a certain element of truth contained just under the surface.
Humility as a virtue has had a bad press. It is generally seen as a "face in the dirt" kind of existence, one that is not very attractive or popular. As a take-off on the Beatitude "Blessed are the humble for they shall inherit the earth", there was a line in a musical which stated, "It's not the earth that they inherit, but the dirt." This comes from the mistaken impression that to be humble means I must adopt an attitude that says "I'm no good. I can't do anything. Everyone else is better than me."
Yet, in the Scriptures, this is anything but the truth. Jesus says: "Take my yoke and learn from me for I am gentle and humble of heart" (Matt 11:29). This is the same Jesus who healed the sick, confronted the Pharisees, made a cord and drove the money changers from the temple. He was anything but a Casper Milquetoast. Jesus knew who He was, why He had come, and what His Father's calling was for Him. He didn't deny it, but stepped out in strength and honesty to confront whatever evil, sickness or corruption that He encountered in the power given Him by the Spirit of His Father in service of others.
I believe that true humility is nothing more than honesty. Humility means knowing who I am, who God is, and what is the true relationship between the two of us. All three of those elements are critically important.
Who I am. I am first of all a Redeemed Sinner. That is, I have my shortcomings, my failings, my limitations, my sins. At times this is obvious to me; at other times I can bury my head in the sand and pretend that it is not true. But when I am willing to accept the reality of my sinfulness, then I am in the privileged position to experience the second part of this reality: I am a REDEEMED sinner. From that comes my true glory and value.
Following upon the acceptance of this reality comes the freedom to acknowledge all the gifts and talents with which I have been endowed by God. Yes, I can do THIS. Yes, I have the ability to accomplish THAT. Yes, I do have special abilities that no one else has. All this makes me unique and special, not because of me, but because of the One who has blessed me. As Mary says in the Gospel of Luke: "All ages to come shall call me blessed for God who is mighty has done great things for me" (1:48-49). This is acknowledging who God is, the origin of all that we are and have. This is part of living in proper relationship to God.
Herein lies the honesty that is real humility. Not poo-pooing the gifts, downplaying our talents, denying God's goodness in us, but rather acknowledging them, accepting them and freely sharing them with the world around us. After all, they are not given for our own self-aggrandizement, but for the service of others.
A person who has always struck me as genuinely humble in this sense is my mother-in-law. When she is complimented or praised for something, she simply says: "Thank you." She acknowledges it, she accepts it, and she gives it in service for others. She blesses others by being a blessing.
How can you grow in true honesty, true humility?
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