For the past couple of years now, I’ve felt the Lord reminding me to be humble. To be honest, I always thought I was a humble guy … but it was God Who revealed to me how much pride was in my heart. Going through many different experiences these past few years, God has really made me realize how much pride is in me, and how much I need to pray for more humility (continuously) in my life. For the many times I’ve looked down on others, judged others, thought negatively of others, thinking myself better than others (putting myself above them), and just not giving others the benefit of the doubt … basically, not SEEING and LOVING them the way God wants me to.
Just this week I had a household and one of the main topics of discussion was humility. We did Lectio Divina, and we used the Second Reading for Palm Sunday (Philippians 2:6-11). We were reminded of Christ’s humility …. I was thinking .. wow. God Himself, humbled Himself, taking the form of a human being, a slave! He was silent as He was being led to His death … death on a cross. Makes me look like such a prideful person, having so much ego, being easily irritable and annoyed at people who I have felt have been unfair with me (even with the smallest things!). It is during these times when I ask God to help me be humble. The funny thing is (as we all probably know), when we ask God to help us at a certain virtue, He doesn’t just give it to us magically, but He puts us in situations where we can PRACTICE that certain virtue. So I realize that every time I ask God to help me be humble, to teach me true humility, he puts me in situations where I need to PRACTICE HUMILITY, and this happens constantly. I’ve learned (which I’ve also heard from teachings on humility) that being humble is a continuous act of letting go of our pride, and humbling ourselves, DAILY. It is not something that we achieve, wherein we say “Aha! I’m finally humble!” .. but it is a daily genuine act of humbling ourselves before the Lord, humbling ourselves with the people we interact with everyday; knowing that GOD IS THE SOURCE OF ALL GOOD, that all the gifts, talents, blessings we have are all from HIM. Actually reminds me, even with something like playing a basketball game. Sometimes, my own pride would make me think “I’m so good,” then the Lord would humble me, making me realize, oh okay, I’m not as good as I think I am (this actually happened to me when we lost a basketball game in a league I play for, it humbled me in the confidence I had in myself, realizing that it’s actually the Lord Who gives the ability for us to do things, i.e. win a basketball game). Funny, but true. So, what did I learn? Well, I learned that I must truly humble myself to be able to experience God’s victory in my life. If I don’t (if I rely on me, myself, and I), if I put confidence in ME, then where would God be in the picture? If we could do things on our own and without God, if we let pride get the best of us, then how can God be truly glorified?
So as I conclude this blog, and as I continue to struggle with foolish pride, I continue to ask God daily to help me be humble, to help me practice humility, to help me see things for the way they are, to help me see the best in other people, to help me see them through God’s eyes, with eyes of LOVE, and that I am a sinner who needs GOD every minute of the day, and that I can DO NOTHING WITHOUT HIM … but WITH HIM, I CAN DO ALL THINGS.
“If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves.Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.Let the same mind be in you that wasin Christ Jesus, Who, though He was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross. Therefore God also highly exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father”
Philippians 2:1-11
There’s always room for humility bro! Praise God for your reflection!