Well, it’s been a little while since I’ve posted to this blog. But, it’s not that I haven’t been writing…it’s just been for other things, i.e. a “talk”, and two recovery Bible study lessons that I would love to turn into a book with the Lord’s help and provision.
I don’t know if that sounds humble, but humility is something I think a lot of us struggle with. What is it? How do I get it? If I think I am humble, am I really?
I found this quote on Facebook this morning and it got me to thinking…
So, if C.S. Lewis is correct and humility is thinking of yourself less not thinking less of yourself, have we been getting it wrong all along? This really perplexed me.
You see, I just had a day last week where humility was as far from a character trait to define me as the sun is from the earth. My family and I spent a few days in Amish country with our friends. We were having a great time…touring towns, the countryside and even a working Amish farm. But everywhere there was STUFF for sale. And, I was really good at getting gifts for my girls with the spending money I had brought. My hubbie even got me a couple of cool things…an antique coffee tin and vintage Wonder Woman comic book.
But, let’s just say that by the last day, I was finding myself more than a little ungrateful.
A little martyr syndrome was coming on…I had spent the money in my wallet on everyone else and I was starting to feel like I deserved a little more. My world had shrunk until I was all I could see or think about.
Humble? Absolutely not!
Webster’s defines the word humble as: “reflecting, expressing, or offered in a spirit of submission; unassuming.”
Friday, there was nothing about me that was humble, submissive or unassuming. It was a case of I want what I want when I want it and if you don’t give me what I want I will pout and make you all miserable.
I would like to say that the conviction of the Holy Spirit changed my attitude “tout-suite”, but it did not! That is not because the Spirit wasn’t working in me pushing me to submit and as Paul the Apostle says, “to be content in all things.” It is because my spirit was not willing to submit to The Spirit.
You see, according to C.S. Lewis’ quote, Christ is our ultimate example of humility. Let’s look at these verses…
Philippians 2:3-8 says, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!”
This to me is the TRUE definition of humility. That Christ would come, God in human form, as a servant and surrender His human life for the likes of me. Inconceivable, I say!
So, the next time I am humbly serving and start to get that martyr syndrome feeling going on, I am going to remind myself that Christ was not on the cross saying, “Good God! Would you look at what I am doing for these ungrateful people!” No! He was saying, “Father, forgive THEM…” No thought of Himself and His suffering, great as it was…nope, He was still thinking of the ones He was here to serve. He was still thinking of you. He was still thinking of me. That is humility!
ThankfullyHisGirl 