The Curious Hum…
“The more humble a man is in himself, the more obedient toward God, the wiser will he be in all things, and the more shall his soul be at peace.”
Thomas A Kempis
Humility is elusive; the closer one believes they are to achieving it, the further they may be from truly grasping it. On the other hand, the further one feels from grasping it, the closer they may be to achieving it. It can be disheartening at times, as it’s difficult to quantify and evaluate humility on one’s own.
How does one achieve something that they cannot fully evaluate on their own? It’s a challenge because we cannot rely solely on ourselves to determine whether or not we have achieved humility.
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?”
Jeremiah 17:20
In order to achieve true humility, I must trust the people around me to give me honest feedback about my character. I need to take their words to heart and believe that I have room to grow – because that’s likely what they’ll tell me. It takes an incredible amount of humility to do this, and that’s the challenge!
As I write this, I’m aware of my own reluctance to fully submit to what’s required for achieving or even understanding humility. I may have even written that last line out of pride, wanting to believe that I’m already humble. This is the struggle, the daily battle against our own pride and the continual effort to become truly humble.
That is why…I believe…
“Humility is a virtue that only comes in power when the fullness of the Spirit makes us partakers of the indwelling Christ and He lives within us.”
Andrew Murray (from his book, “humility, The Journey Toward Holiness”)
If I want to achieve the most important of Christian virtues,
“He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.”
Psalm 25:9
I must admit that achieving humility on my own is impossible. It’s crucial that I’m willing to submit to God’s grace and trust that He will be my strength in my pursuit of humility. I also need to trust my friends and family in their observations of my behavior, as it’s a crucial step towards personal holiness.
This is a difficult topic for me to write about because I often recognize my own pride in many areas of my life. I appreciate your prayers, but please don’t tell me that you’re praying for me as it may trigger a prideful response. The struggle continues!
In him, with love
mike
P.s.
All that being said, it takes a special kind of pride for a man to think it’s his job to humble his brother. Brother, I assure you that God has everything under control.
We are not that great! But he is!
