Upside Down: Humility vs. Pride

I have been thinking about the word “humility” for a few years now.  The Lord continues to bring it to mind as a quality He holds very dear so it is something I also desire in my life because of that. I always hear Him say “…learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart...” Matthew 11:29. As I read the Bible I see God’s desire for humility pop up all over the place; it’s in the Old Testament, in the prophesies, Proverbs, Job, and of course all throughout the New Testament.  The Lord is very consistent and persistent with communicating the things that are most important to Him and this seems to be one of them.  So, I have come to the conclusion that if you desire to know God, and want to be a disciple of the Lord, you will also need to come to know true humility because they are one and the same.

As I was thinking about writing this blog, I thought I better look the word up to make sure I knew what it really meant!!  You know how you go about “thinking” you know what a word means only to discover you were mistaken…?  So anyway, here is one definition I found that was a good representation of others that are out there: “… freedom from pride and arrogance; lowliness of mind; a modest estimate of one's own worth; a sense of one's own unworthiness through imperfection and sinfulness; self-abasement…” And, as I was searching the web for some things on humility I found a couple sayings regarding it: “Humility, a strange thing, the minute you think you’ve got it, you’ve lost it” and the other was “Humility does not mean you think less of yourself, it means you think of yourself less”. The definition and the sayings pretty much explain what humility is… right??

Well, as it turns out, after going through this research, and talking about it with Tom, I am walking away with more questions and am even less certain of what humility really is. I want to steer away from anything that would encourage “false” humility or even worse, “codependency” (which I struggle with!). But, for the purpose of this blog I will attempt to describe humility as I understand it now; It’s not that you feel like you are a weak, worthless, no good nothing, it’s that you KNOW who you are in Christ and you are completely reliant upon Him and your confidence rests in that and not in yourself or your own abilities. You know that you, being sinful, have been bought with a price, and even at your worst, Christ loved you enough to die for you. When we come face to face with this truth, of our sinfulness and His redeeming love for us, I think we are also faced with the reality of our NEED for Him in our every day lives.  This knowledge then compels us to set aside our desires, our wants, and our needs to be obedient “bond servants” of Christ, serving Him with our whole heart, mind, body, soul and strength. WE are not our main focus in our life anymore but it is Christ and His desires that are our main focus. Again, humility doesn’t mean you are a weak and wimpy person but instead, I think that it takes an incredibly courageous and strong person to be able to set aside their wants and desires to pick up the virtue of humility and become completely reliant upon Christ… for everything! I don’t see ANY weakness in that!!

So, that brings me to why this is part of the “upside down” series.  When I compare this definition of humility, or my understanding of it, to what the world teaches, I see that they are two entirely different things! The world teaches and trains us to think about and focus only on ourselves!  All the focus is on getting MY needs met and getting MY desires fulfilled. I deserve a break today; I deserve a vacation, a diamond, a yacht, a nice house, a nice car, a nicer stereo system, a nicer, better, prettier/handsomer spouse… I deserve to be treated better, to have more money, a better position at work, to get a raise, to get the promotion… Basically, it’s ALL ABOUT ME, and YOU, getting what WE want, and if necessary, stepping on or shoving to the side, anyone or anything that gets in our way. We are pumped full of “pride” and “self sufficiency” and we end up not caring or thinking about anyone else but ME and MY needs. That, my friend, I believe is completely upside down from the desires of Christ and the Kingdom!

So, with that said, I hope you will indulge me while I chew on the definition of humility a little more. Even with my current understanding and explanation, I still feel like I am missing something. The Bible says that “Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.” (Numbers 12:3). What was it that made him so humble? Was it the 40 years of herding sheep after his prideful fall in Egypt? (I think that would humble anyone!) And then we see David, a man after God’s own heart. I believe he exhibited humility in that, when he was anointed king, he still honored Saul and didn’t “take” the kingdom from him but waited for God’s timing. But then we have Daniel, whom the angel of the Lord said “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them.” Daniel 10:12. What was it that created humility in Daniel?  Was it that he was, in one moment considered to be of noble birth and then when captured, considered a slave of Babylon? That would be a rude awakening for anyone!

And then of course we have Jesus, speaking of noble birth, who laid down his divinity to come to us as a baby, grew to be a man, to walk among us and to “seek and save what was lost” (Luke 19:10). 2 Corinthians tells us “…that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” Jesus, the “sinless” one, the only person on earth who could have “lorded” His position over us, the only one who was qualified to condemn, judge and throw the first stone, chose instead to show mercy, compassion and forgive us all… the prostitutes, tax collectors, murders, adulterers, thieves… all of us who have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

As Tom and I were talking about this, the word “intercession” came up.  Jesus intercedes for us at the throne of God. David interceded for his people as a king of Israel.  Moses interceded for his people and so did Daniel.  They saw themselves as “one of them”, not above or below them but they could relate enough with the struggles and the sin that they had compassion and sent up heart felt intercession on behalf of them. Could it be that this too is apart of humility? Having empathy and compassion for those around us enough to intercede for them?

Now, here is another thought. Oswald always talks about God’s nature in me, that He speaks to His Spirit who is in me.  Here is a quote along those lines: “There is no possibility of questioning God when He speaks, if He speaks to His own nature in me. Prompt obedience is the only result. When Jesus says, "Come," I simply come; when He says, "Let go," I let go; when He says, "Trust God in this matter," I trust. This work of obedience is the evidence that the nature of God is in me.” (My Utmost for His highest, November 17^th)  So, the thought is, since Jesus is “gentle and humble at heart” and His Spirit is in us, and if our desire is “more of you Lord and less of me”, then could God be working the attributes of Christ in us as we yield and die to ourselves? Could it be that Christ’s humility surfaces in us as we surrender our will and ways and allow Him to be Lord of our lives?

Ok, this is where I will stop and allow God to continue to reveal His heart and His plan for humility to me/us.  Thank you for indulging me this time to hash this out a little more.  What are YOUR thoughts regarding humility??  How do you see it and how do you think it is attained? I would love to get different insights, thoughts and perspectives on this.

Oh Father in heaven, please help us to focus on Your truths and Your Kingdom principles and ways and not the worlds.  Lord, show me what true humility is and what it looks like.  Help me to rid myself of pride, arrogance and self-righteousness and instead, embrace true humility which brings you delight.  Thank you Lord for Your Holy Spirit that will continue to teach and show us how to walk in Your ways and in Your humility.  I pray that you give us the courage and the strength to follow in Your footsteps.  In Jesus’ name I pray, amen!

“Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Colossians 3:12