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Humility Is Not Spineless Humility Is Strength

Humility Is Not Spineless Humility Is Strength

Last updated on: November 4, 2024 at 9:16 pm by Kathy King

Humility Is Not Spineless Humility Is Strength 2024-11-04T21:16:02-05:00 Kathy King

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Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less. C.S. Lewis

Humility. What does that mean?

Humility: freedom from pride and arrogance.

Recently I was a captive audience of a podcast. In the last few weeks and months I’ve tried to limit how much podcasts I consume. They were causing me to have a root of bitterness in a very real way. As I sat in the room trying not to pay attention, I could not help but be drawn to the words, “There are a whole lot of people out there who are not aspiring to be humble.” That is not verbatim but pretty close. My head actually swiveled in the direction of the TV because I was in disbelief. I try to steer clear of politics as much as I can, and I am going to try in this instance as well. But those words, much like the utterances of many politicians, gave me great sadness.

Are there scriptures about pride and humility?

With pride comes disgrace. With humility, there is wisdom. James 4
Pride brings destruction and a haughty spirit. Philippians 2
Humility brings honor before the Lord. Psalm 1
Pride gets in the way of your relationship with God. Jeremiah 9
Humility opens the channel of blessing. 2 Chronicles 7
Pride breeds strife. Proverbs 13
Humility opens the door to God’s grace. I Peter 5

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If you really take a deep dive into humility what does it mean?

Humility is understanding that you have limitations. You have not reached the pinnacle of your knowledge. The “I can do nothing wrong” mindset is a dangerous place to dwell. To be unteachable leads to stunting of your mental and spiritual growth. I’ve been a pianist since I was 8 years old. I’ve been trained in every way you can imagine. At one point I did think I was the bees knees of pianists, I knew it all, until one day a pianist came along that could play circles around me, they played more technically proficient, they played everything beautifully. My big tower of “I know everything” came tumbling down in one night. Here is the funny thing about this situation. The pianist that played circles around me? He thought he was not the best either. He had a humble and teachable spirit. Recently in a full circle moment, I had the wonderful opportunity to hear this very talented pianist play his faculty concert at a local university. I thought fondly of the lesson that he taught me many years ago. Always be teachable, there is always room for improvement.

In cleaning our empty house I found an old marked up Bible

I’ve talked often about our empty house, its given me ample time to go through things that I have not touched in years. Today I had an occasion to find some old Bibles that I had kept for a while. One particular Bible came to my attention. It was a KJV and Amplified Bible set side by side. I opened the Bible right to the middle and it came to Psalm 1. Blessed are those who do not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, nor sit with people who scorn, nor stand in the path of sinners. Their delight is in the Law of the Lord and in God’s law (His scriptures) they meditate day and night. I used to think that verse meant you had to have no fun at all, just read scriptures all day, when in all actuality it means to hide God’s words in your heart so that when you are out and about you can have a frame of reference when dwelling in the world. The next verses explain how to do so.

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Why does the scripture liken believers to trees?

You will be like a tree firmly planted by the waters ready to bring forth fruit in its season. What does that mean? When I was little my mom had a dogwood tree that sat beside the house, it was so very healthy. The other tiny dogwood trees were not growing nearly as fast, it had an intricate root system that stuck up in the side yard. I remember tripping over those roots many times. You see, that tree had an amazingly strong root system because it was planted near an underground stream. What do trees endure? A tree endures fierce storms, wind, lightning and in some cases, extremely hot or cold weather. The tree is almost always restored because it has a strong root system. God is likening His Words to a tree planted by the waters. We can navigate the world with all its issues and weather the storm because He has given us strong roots.

Why is it important to have a strong root system?

Years ago I heard a pastor refer to Christians who do not have a strong root system as “Tumbleweed Christians.” At the time I thought, “What?” But now it makes sense. It is not enough to just attend church once a week (though that is a start), we must get to know God just as He knows us. Psalm 1 continues to tell us that those who are not followers of God are like the chaff that the wind blows away. What is chaff? It is the leftover grass and chopped straw, it is only suitable for the fire. If we rely on what is going on around us in the world, we are very much likely going to be in the fire of worry. We will have a defeated spirit and more often than not, a distinct lack of humility. We will be full of the knowledge that the earth gives you through wealth and power rather than the life giving humility of God.

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Humility and Roots. That is what we need

To wrap this musing up. After listening to the podcast and learning a life lesson years ago with piano, I have come to this conclusion: God desires us to have a humble and teachable spirit. That doesn’t mean that you let everyone walk all over you, but rather to be teachable is to understand the meaning of growth. I am reminded of Philippians 2:3-5.Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit [through factional motives, or strife], but with [an attitude of] humility [being neither arrogant nor self-righteous], regard others as more important than yourselves. Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this same attitude in yourselves which was in Christ Jesus [look to Him as your example in selfless humility].

Jesus was the epitome of humility and our guide

What this verse tells me is that rather than screaming from the rafters, “I’m not humble!” We are to be selfless as Christ was selfless, keep our attitude as that of Christ’s attitude; a servant. Check our motives often, are they a reflection of Christ? My prayer for each day: Dear God, I desire not to be an unpleasant woman, but a humble woman. I desire to do your will, please keep my motives in check. I pray that I will always be teachable and open to the direction of Jesus Christ. I leave you all with a quote by Ezra Taft Benson: “Pride is concerned with who is right. Humility is concerned with what is right.” May we walk in Christ’s humility.

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