Humility

Being proud of humility – oh how beautifully human

All virtues require a certain degree of denial of the self. Perhaps that is even the very definition of virtue – placing an idea above oneself, above one’s immediate desires. I cannot help but think that of all the virtues, humility asks the most of us. And of all the virtues, it seems humility remains the most elusive, for it goes so strongly against our very nature.

‘Prove yourself, become someone! Look at all you’ve achieved and how great you are!’

That is the voice we like to hear.

‘Think of yourself less. It’s not about you.’

This one, we prefer not to hear.

I have a personal story about an unexpected encounter I recently had with pride. I want to share it because it demonstrates just how vital humility is:

This summer, I was offered the opportunity to speak at a church. Wow, how exciting! I love public speaking! Hundreds of topics flooded my mind. There was so much I had to say, so many things I wanted to share. I felt very honored to get to stand before people looking to grow deeper in their faith and learn more about God.

I spent several evenings preparing what I wanted to say. There was no doubt in my mind that every word I would speak should be God-honoring and solely focused on helping people grow closer to Him. Finally, on Sunday morning, I gave my speech.

… And I loved it! What an amazing experience!

Then things took a turn... I got a few pats on the back, several nods of appreciation, and some ‘well dones’. And just like that, pride gained a foothold.

‘Wow, I’m good at this.’

‘They really like me.’

‘I guess I’m a pretty smart guy.’

With those thoughts, humility had fled, and pride took its place.

With those thoughts, things changed from ‘This is about God’ to ‘This is about me’.

That afternoon, I spent a lot of time thinking. I was aware of what had happened, and I did not want it to happen again.

Of the virtues, I take a particular liking to courage and humility. Courage provides us with the means to live out all other virtues, while humility allows us to embody them fully and selflessly.

As far as I can tell, humility proves just how indispensable it is in two critical areas of life: In our relationship with God and our relationship with other people.

Let’s start with the first area – our relationship with God.

Elohim created us as idols. We are images of Elohim, who is above us. We are to have no idols, no gods, no people – nothing above Elohim. This also means that we are not the highest.

Our relationship with God is one of humility. It is one where pride can all too quickly fill our hearts and leave no room for God as we, in our own eyes, rise to the level of a deity.

We have already discussed how Jesus embodied perfect humility (read more about that in ‘Servant’) and set a standard worth striving for. Furthermore, when Jesus tells His students how to pray in Matthew 6:9, we see how fundamental humility is in that relationship:

God’s name is to be kept holy, not mine.

His will is to be done, not mine.

My daily bread will be given by Him, not me.

Without humility, every corner of my heart is flooded with pride, leaving no room for me to love my Creator.

Moving on to the second area – our relationship with one another.

I think C. S. Lewis put it more eloquently than I could ever dream of writing it myself:

‘Do not imagine that if you meet a really humble man, he will be what most people call ‘humble’ nowadays: he will not be a sort of greasy, smarmy person who is always telling you that, of course, he is nobody. Probably all you will think about him is that he seemed a cheerful, intelligent chap who took a real interest in what you said to him. If you do dislike him, it will be because you feel a little envious of anyone who seems to enjoy life so easily. He will not be thinking about humility; he will not be thinking about himself at all.

If anyone would like to acquire humility, I can, I think, tell him the first step. The first step is to realise that one is proud. And a biggish step, too. At least, nothing whatever can be done before it. If you think you are not conceited (excessively proud), it means you are very conceited indeed.’

In classic C. S. Lewis fashion, his words are blunt and to the point. Quite convicting, I must say.

‘A humble man will not be thinking about humility; he will not be thinking about himself at all.’ – That is precisely why humility is so essential in our relationships with each other... we must think of each other first and care about each other most. We cannot do that if we are too concerned with ourselves.

Interestingly, Lewis’ words make me recognize that worry can be a roadblock on the path toward humility. If I am worried about my own well-being, I will have difficulties calmly looking toward others and thinking of myself less.

There seems to be one more area of life in which humility plays an imperative part. This one is less obvious than the two I mentioned above, but it is just as important: Humility’s role in overcoming temptation.

Humility and overcoming temptation? How could those two topics possibly be connected?

Answering this question exceeds the boundaries of today’s essay, so we will revisit it in an upcoming contemplation. One that will take us on a journey to Tolkien’s Middle Earth...