Humble Pie

We all like to believe that we are "all that". We work to improve ourselves, we grow, we change and we fall. Some of us are prouder than others. Some of us walk tall, heads held high, wearing our achievements on our sleeve telling you how successful we are, how much we own, how independent we are, how much we don't need anyone else. We name drop, title drop all to convince you that we have arrived. It starts at a young age. We compare, brag and boast about where we've been, what we've done, who we are friends with, where we live and vacation. Social media like Facebook and Instagram has taken our boasting to a new level.

Humility isn't a top character trait that most people find attractive. In fact, many people think that being humble equates to weakness. I find that as I grow older, it becomes easier to admit when I am wrong, to be quicker to say I am sorry. In the moments that I judge someone for their mistakes or dumb behavior, I find myself the next day doing the very thing that I judged someone else for. I think as we age, we realize that we don't know it all, we don't have all the answers and we are imperfect. We all make mistakes!

God uses people to patronize me, talk down to me, criticize how I do something and at times blast me when I'm not expecting it. It is hard when He uses others to stretch and humiliate me. I think it is all our perspective in how we receive all these negative ways in which others react toward us. We can get offended, put off, become angry and bitter, blame someone else, write them off. The first thing I ask ask myself is if there is any truth in how I have been treated and what the person has said of me. If there is, then I need to make some readjustments in my life. Sometimes garbage just rolls down hill and I might be standing at the bottom and might not even be the cause, just an "innocent bystander" to someone else's bad day. It is in that moment in time when I have a choice how to react. I can bristle up and dish the same back, I can reflect and walk away, maybe not ever respond or maybe come back at a later time if that person has meaning and value in my life. Or maybe it is God's gentle reminder to me that I am who I am today because of HIM, He knows me best and has my best interest in mind!

Leaders of many countries, politicians, religious leaders, coaches, and even parents can sometimes lose perspective of how they got where they are. Personal effort is many times part of success however, the Bible says that Pride goes before a fall. In the Old Testament time and time again it talks about God putting leaders in their place and then removing them from power. Any time we use our position to Lord over someone else, we set ourselves up to fall.

We are all human, we are all sinners, we are all prone to hurting others and being hurt. Humility is a tool that God uses to keep us dependent on Him. The moment I think I can do it all, all by myself is the moment that He sends something or someone into my life to remind me that without Him I can do nothing. I am not saying that He has created us to be mindless, lazy people who are incapable of walking, talking, working or striving to be better. What I am saying is that people who believe that they can rule the world and lord over others, is a short lived reign.

I love the verse found in Micah 6:8, "And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." I have walked with the Lord since I was five. I have made many mistakes and have many times displeased Him with my words and my actions. I have to admit I don't always act justly, I don't always extend mercy to those who act human and many times I claim credit where credit isn't mine to claim, self-righteous humility so to speak (so glad God answered your prayers "I" have been praying for you.) Really, God only answers prayers the way we pray when He wants to. Many times He answers prayers differently then we ask. God is God and has a plan even when it doesn't fit into ours. But we have no control over what His will is for our life and the lives of others. We are to ask and believe and not doubt, but He wants us to ask within the context of Thy will be done... God should get the honor and Glory for answered prayers and blessings that He bestows.

C.S Lewis once said "Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less. We, as followers of Jesus, should choose humility not to demean our self worth, but to discover who we truly are by loving others through the love of Jesus and allowing the Holy Spirit to dwell within us.