Humility

   Humility is a virtue, but society today most often views it as a weakness.  Humility and humbleness have come to be associated with fear, cowardice and being a “door mat” for others to walk on.  If you asked most people today to list the virtues they strive to develop, humility and humbleness would probably be at the bottom of the list if they were on it all.

   Yet humility is important to faith; without it we can never truly understand the love and mercy of God.  Jesus showed humility throughout His life.  He accepted the rejection of others without lashing out; He never forced Himself or His teachings on anyone.  Even to the point of death He humbly accepted the abuse and abandonment of others.  He did not consider humility to be a deficit but rather a necessary part of a life in service to God.

   We need humility in our lives if we are to live the will of God.  We are not to be proud or boisterous in our faith, but confident and assured.  We are to approach others as children of God and, if children of God, worthy of our love and respect.  But we need to understand the true essence of humility if we are to understand our need for it.

   Humility isn’t subjecting oneself to the scorn and insults of others.  Being humble doesn’t mean thinking ourselves second best or inferior.  It certainly isn’t letting others walk all over us as a doormat.

   Humility is recognizing that the world doesn’t depend on us to exist.  In fact, we aren’t even needed for the world to exist, but that’s OK because God has willed that we exist.  Humility admits that others may be smarter and stronger than we are, but it doesn’t matter because being the smartest or strongest isn’t necessary for a life of faith and joy in God’s plan for us.  Humility is understanding that we are unworthy of God’s love and mercy but rejoicing in the fact that He loves us anyway.

   The word humility comes from the Latin “humilis”, literally “on the ground”.  It goes further back to the Latin word “humus” meaning earth or soil.  “For you are dirt, and to dirt you shall return.”  (Gen 3: 19.)  If we humbly approach God with love in our heart and faith in our soul nothing else in this world matters. 

  If we are to truly understand humility we need to turn to scripture.

   “Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped.  Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found in human appearance he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.” (Phil 2: 5-8)