Doesn’t the word “humility” just kind of make you wince? Ouch, this is going to be about grovelling and self-deprecation…
Except it’s not. Not when we properly understand this virtue.
Humility is not about putting yourself down and flagellating yourself for your faults and failures. In fact, beating yourself up is actually a way to exhibit pride disguised as humility.
No, humility is not putting yourself down; rather, it’s arriving at a correct assessment of yourself.
This has always been a challenge for human beings, and never has it been more difficult than in today’s noisy world of self-promotion, busyness, and the plethora of opportunities that awaits each of us.
It’s too easy to think of ourselves “all that” when we can access thousands of people with our fingertips, become famous for no particular reason, and fly anywhere we want to in the world.
But the truth is, you have limits. Your life may be busy and full, you may have lots of social media friends and fans, and you may have lots of dreams and ideas and ambitions… but you have limits.
- You need to sleep every night just to gain strength for the next day (and you probably need more hours of sleep than you think).
- You need to partake of food several times a day (and for optimal health, it needs to be nutritious and you need to slow down enough to digest it)
- You could only survive for about three days without water.
- You could only survive for a few minutes without air.
All these physical limitations demonstrate a theological truth: God is infinitely strong and capable, and we, by comparison, are very weak.
Humility is understanding who God is and who we are. Humility remembers both your human limitations and God’s transcendent power. — Hannah Anderson, Humble Roots
So humility is not so much a matter of saying “I’m so terrible.” It’s more like, “I recognize that I am small and vulnerable and have human limitations.”
It’s agreeing with God’s plan to schedule rest into every day and every week because we need it. It’s accepting that we cannot accomplish anything we want to at any given time.
It’s taking a big breath and letting go of some of the things that have been pushing us.
Humility helps us develop a healthy rhythm to life rather than being driven by pride.
I’m totally preaching at myself here. My tendency is to fill the paper out to the edge of the margin, say yes to all the possibilities, pile just one more thing onto my plate.
Sure, I can probably do that.
I guess that’s why I’m tired.
I guess that’s why I need to get re-acquainted with this beautiful virtue. I need to re-prioritize and say no to some things.
I need to remember what is important rather than be pushed by the urgent. Otherwise, I might lose sight of what God is calling me to.
The people on this planet who end up doing nothing are those who never realized they couldn’t do everything. — Kevin DeYoung, Crazy Busy
I don’t want to end up accomplishing nothing because I tried to do it all.
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. — 1 Peter 5:6-7
It’s comforting to acknowledge that I’m small, very small, and the One Who has no limits cares for me.
Humility. Ahhh... it’s spelled R-E-L-A-X.
How will you allow humility to help you rest this week?
