Soul Care - Humility
by Mary Elsbury
Are you tired of seeing all the political ads that tout a particular candidate as the best and brightest? I am. I’m also tired of receiving and seeing all the ads for Medicare programs that promise all kinds of benefits (for the youngsters, this is sign-up time for health plans). While politics and Medicare ads seem effusive, the common thread is they boast about their achievements and convey confidence in themselves and their products.
Our focus this month is on humility. It is defined as the feeling or attitude that you are nothing special or more important than anyone else; being humble. At first glance, humility seems like a negative quality or trait; a sign of weakness rather than strength. In truth, humility will get you farther in your personal life as a person, friend, and leader because it takes the focus off self. Humility is opposite of pride. It’s acknowledging that we are dependent on someone greater than self.
1 Peter 5:6-7 says, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you.” Humility puts the focus on honoring God rather than devaluing ourselves. He calls us to be humble and worship Him because He wants to care for us. He is our Provider and Sustainer. We don’t have to carry all the burdens of life. Most of the time when we don’t bow down and worship, we are saying that we don’t trust God to do what’s best for us.
Jesus is our ultimate example. He was obedient to the Father and died on the cross for us. Talk about being humble! If Christ did that for us, why would we ever think that we shouldn’t exercise humility? Because of His humility, we have a relationship with God the Father. We need Him in every aspect of our lives. We need the Holy Spirit to guide and direct us. If we choose to do things on our own and veer away from dependence on God, then we are basically saying that what Christ did for us was not enough.
Humility takes time to cultivate. It’s learning to fix our eyes on God moment by moment. No matter what circumstance you find yourself in, from dealing with politics and Medicare, to having conversations with others, we need to lean into what was done for us by Jesus on the cross.
Look at your life to determine if you are tooting your own horn. Are you boasting about your own accomplishments or are you putting others first? An attitude adjustment might be needed. Take a deep breath in and remember that God is in control - if we set aside our pride and humbly worship Him.
