20170622 Humility

James 4:10  “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”

Humble people can receive a bad rap. Humility is frequently associated with being too passive, submissive or insecure, but this couldn’t be further from the truth.  To be humble is not to think less of oneself, but to think of oneself less.

The Bible teaches us that righteous behaviour, that which pleases God, is not what, today, society defines as normal, important and/or right.  It seeks to redefine interactions, focusing on the other person rather than ourselves.  Humility – a humble attitude and action – is at the centre of this.

I am constantly challenged by the simple words of James 4:10. We need to always remember that it is God who should be lifting us up, rather than us taking control and putting ourselves on a pedestal.  I’ve distilled some suggestions below, as to what being humble might look like as we seek to live together in deep, authentic relationship within our community.

They’re Situationally Aware – that is, they aim their focus outward as they try to absorb and learn more about the situation

They Retain Relationships – studies show that humble people are more likely to help friends than their friends who are driven by

They Make Difficult Decisions with Greater Ease – we all find tough decisions hard to make, and stand by.  Humble people will operate in a space of shared purpose rather than self-interest, and thus find the difficult decision easier to make because it is hard but necessary for the greater good.

They Put Others First – because humble people know their self-worth before God, they realise that nobody cares how much they know until those people know how much they’re cared for.

They Listen – humble people actively listen to others before summarising the conversation. They’re eager to understand others because they’re curious.

They’re Curious – they seek knowledge because they are perpetual learners and realise that they don’t have all the answers. They glean knowledge from the experiences of others and crave more opportunities to learn.

They Speak Their Minds – this is an interesting one, as it doesn’t contradict the previous points, but complements them.  Being good listeners and aware of the world around them, humble people will seek for God’s good in all circumstances and will sacrifice their own comfort and other’s perceptions of them to ensure those they are in community with do not fall into unhealthy and sinful habits.

They Take Time To Say “Thank You” – even for the little things.

They Start Sentences With “You” Rather Than “I” – humble people put others at the front of their thoughts and will praise others for their achievements.

They Accept Feedback – they are not only receptive to constructive criticism but actively seek it because they know that feedback is a pathway to improvement.

They Assume Responsibility

They Ask for Help – part of being humble means realising that you don’t have all the answers. Humble people acknowledge what they do and do not know and enlist help for the latter.

In conclusion, some of these suggestions are simple habits we can more readily adopt, but others will require more intentional focus and constant self-monitoring (and some honest feedback from trusted friends).  My prayer is that, in humility, we will find our relationships together enriching our community as we grow as God’s people together.