Two Sides of Humility

Humility

I was going to write an entry on humility and about how humble I am, but there are not enough readers yet…

Just kidding. Humility is one seriously elusive virtue. What does it mean to be humble?

I think that there is a confusion between humility and humiliation. Though the latter may sometimes encourage the former, it is not necessarily so.

Let the believer who is lowly boast in being raised up, and the rich in being brought low, because the rich will disappear like a flower in the field. (James 1:9-10)

If you think of humility as sniveling and begging, perhaps there is truth in that. But it is not the whole truth. The best definition I have heard of humility is an honest engagement with the truth. It is understanding the truth of our own humanity and the truth of our imperfection. Even our skills and accomplishments, everything we’ve earned or achieved, all these will pass away.

The truth is, no matter how much earthly honor we have, no matter how blessed our lives appear, or how much it seems that God is smiling upon us, we all come to His table as beggars. God loves us all perfectly – even in our imperfection. In Christ, the perfect image of God in which we are all created has been restored.

The truth is we are all radically dependent upon the completely faithful God who gifts us with all the blessings we may, in turn, use to distinguish ourselves from one another. If you are an excellent administrator and salesperson and you have made a fortune in business, does that make you better in God’s eyes than the addict at the V.A. hospital who hasn’t recovered from war trauma? No. Does it make the president of the Episcopal Church Women or the gentle priest more valuable to God than the criminal or the beach-bum? No.

In fact it is easy to fall into the trap of associating our accomplishments (or our neighbor’s) or our possessions, including honor and respect, with our worth in God’s eyes. I do it. And the outcome of that nefarious activity is inevitably despair. Humility is the only cure. It is a grace which we must intentionally participate in.

The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, 'God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.' But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will themselves will be exalted." (Luke 18:11-14)

Does this mean I run around begging for forgiveness non-stop? No. But this entry is getting long so tune in tomorrow for a look at the flip side of humility.

Next: the flip side.