| What Does It Mean to Be Humble? |
| Written by Sue Dickinson | |
| Sunday, 10 May 2009 | |
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Early in life I had to choose between honest arrogance and hypocritical humility. I chose honest arrogance and have seen no occasion to change. Frank Lloyd Wright brings up an interesting dilemma, particularly for Christians these days. Our world prides itself on individuality and personal achievement, and it sometimes seems that when we try to follow God's commands to humble ourselves to the Lord, we are just being hypocritical.
Early in life I had to choose between honest arrogance and hypocritical humility. I chose honest arrogance and have seen no occasion to change. Frank Lloyd Wright brings up an interesting dilemma, particularly for Christians these days. Our world prides itself on individuality and personal achievement, and it sometimes seems that when we try to follow God's commands to humble ourselves to the Lord, we are just being hypocritical. Humble has many different meanings, but most definitions are more negative than positive. Look it up in a dictionary and you'll find cause to feel shame, broken subdued, and even inferior to others. I have puzzled long and hard over the paradox of how a loving God is okay with that. Yet, the Bible is full of passages praising the humble. For the proud will be humbled and the humble will be honored Luke 14:11. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth Matthew 5:5 Does God really not care if the world walks all over us? Should we let the world bully us unmercifully, content that we will have heavenly glory? Humble is no longer a common word. I think the problem lies in our trying to interpret its meaning based on the modern understanding of what it means, which is not easy to take. The Bible actually defines humble in a much more positive light. The compilers of The Message, a modern, narrative translation of the Bible which tries to interpret it's message in today's language, records Luke 14:11 much differently: ...If you walk around with your nose in the air, you're going to end up flat on your face. But if you're content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself. I like what Archbishop William Temple said about the topic: Humility does not mean thinking less of yourself than of other people, nor does it mean having a low opinion of your own gifts. It means freedom from thinking about yourself at all. This better explains to me what God is asking of us when he commands us to be humble. God isn't telling us to take it like a man or put up with the bullies of the world. Instead, he is asking us to commit our lives to His service, to recognize our abilities, and to use them not for our own benefit, but to his glory. To stop thinking about ourselves at all, and to commit to His will. If we do that, he will honor us. I think God is actually inviting us to be proud of what we can do, and to do everything we do in his honor. If we do that, we don't have to worry and stress out over what we are meant to do or how we will reach our goals. With God in control, we can be assured that he loves us and wants the best for us. So, by humbling ourselves to the Lord, we are actually accepting a wonderful gift of freedom from the pressures of this world and an invitation to His awesome power. Wow! So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and in his good time he will honor you. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about what happens to you. 1 Peter 5: 6-7. The Article Author: Sue Dickinson enjoys writing about current events, family, and self improvement from a Christian perspective. She is the editor of ForGodSoLovedGifts.com, a Christian Blog. Sue is also the founder of ForGodSoLovedGifts.com, a Christian Blogfeaturing exceptional Christian gifts for all occasions, many under $20. |
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