Practicing Humility
“The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all people on earth will be blessed through you.’” (Genesis 12:1-3 NIV)
Merriam-Webster says humility is freedom from pride or arrogance.
The definition of humble is:
- Not proud or haughty; not arrogant or assertive
- Reflecting, expressing, or offering in a spirit of deference or submission
- Ranking low in a hierarchy or scale; insignificant, unpretentious
Jesus was humble. He washed feet. He ate with people society had cast out. He took the punishment for our sin. He put himself below us so we could be reconciled to God through his sacrifice. Maybe we should just call Jesus the definition of humility.
It seems to me that there are more than a few Americans (me included at times, I am sure) who do not embody these definitions. How often do we reflect on the state of our own hearts? How often do we ask ourselves how the way we live and our daily actions affect our neighbor? How often do we “wash feet?” How often do we have dinner with people we usually would not? How often do we sacrifice our own desires for the good of others?
Being born an American seems to give people the arrogance to believe they deserve what they have. Many Americans have truthfully not earned that much. We live in a country of opportunity. We come from families who worked hard before us to put that opportunity in our laps. Yes, we contribute to the betterment of society through the taxes we pay, but the majority of us did not labor to pull ourselves or our families out of poverty or other, worse, circumstances.
So I guess the question is, what exactly did I earn? I can certainly see the work I did to get into college and get through nursing school. I remember the jobs I worked in high school and through college to help in that process. Certainly, I did some work to move into my opportunity. Here is where my honest and anxious heart wants to get real with me, though. That whole time I was “working” for those opportunities, my belly was full, I had a room and a bed to sleep in, and I had people championing me and loving me. How blessed I am.
For me, part of humility is remembering that I don’t deserve a thing. No matter how much work I do or how “good” I am, I will never be at the level of God’s perfection. God is gracious and good and kind. I need the Holy Spirit’s work in and on my heart to be anything like him. He is the only reason I am where I am. His blessing upon me means something. What am I going to do with that?
Acts 20:35 says, “In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
Last week, I saw a post on Facebook by an acquaintance my parents’ age. She expressed some extreme disagreement with the idea of then-President-elect Biden granting American citizenship to the illegal immigrants currently living in our country. Truthfully, I have not looked up his policy, and by the time you are reading this, something may have already come to pass. When I read her post, though, my eyes immediately filled with tears, and at that moment, I could not tell you why that was.
I made myself sit with those tears for a few minutes and process them. I realized I was crying for each of those people who might become citizens. I cried because, while they might not deserve the grace of citizenship by the definition of many Americans, someone might step in and give them what they do not deserve, just like Jesus Christ did for me. While they were cast out, disliked, doing menial work to get by so that they might have a better life, someone was working on their behalf to draw them into the fold.
I have no need to make this a political issue or debate. I was merely thinking about it from a spiritual standpoint and how, if I was from another country where my life was hard, war-torn, or poverty-stricken, I, too, might go searching for something better, even if I had to bend the laws for my own security or that of my family. As Americans, many of us have never had to think about life being scary or intolerable. What are we doing, or what are we going to do, for those who have to live with such worries, whether they live here in America or in some other country?
How can we, as American Christians, celebrate the lost and found? How can we be part of their deliverance? We have to be honest with ourselves about where we fall on the spectrum of what we believe we deserve and what real humility in this area should look like for a Jesus-follower. Let’s get started.
Lord, you bring the prodigal sons home. We were lost, and now we are found. Help us model the humility of Jesus in our lives. Help us find your lost sheep and bring them into the fold. Help us love even when we disagree or do not understand. We were once strangers, and now you call us friends. Let us find new friends, Lord, and love them the way you love us. Amen.
Scripture for Reflection
“It is a sin to despise one’s neighbor, but blessed is the one who is kind to the needy.” (Prov. 14:21 NIV)
“Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed by them.” (John 13:14-17 NIV)
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35 NIV)
Reach for More
I believe changing into someone who not only behaves like Jesus, but who loves like him and feels good about that, begins with introspection. Look up some Scripture verses on the commands of God. What do they say about love? Who should we love? Who should we care for?
Now, if you are ready to dive in and take some small or large steps into that kind of love, do a Google search for organizations in your community that serve the people or groups of people the Lord brought to your attention through his Word. Ask your friends what they are involved in or where they serve, and join forces. How can you get involved? Pray for them, send money, volunteer? Take at least one tiny step forward to loving like Jesus in 2021.
enjoys a crazy, beautiful life with her military husband, four sons, and a daughter. A baby interrupts her homeschool days in the best ways, and she is always attempting to live with mindfulness of each moment. She hopes to look at the world and each person in it in light of our amazing Creator, and therefore, to see each moment presented as an opportunity to love and serve him more. Carla relishes time to ponder God’s Word and have quiet moments with him and her coffee. She loves doing life with other mamas and encouraging them to simply be who God has made them to be.
Photograph © Fa Barboza, used with permission
