Humility

“Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.“

Matthew 23:12 HCSB

“…And all of you clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

1 Peter 5:5 HCSB

I learned the word “humble” in 3rd grade when reading Charlotte’s Web. It was one of the words the spider wove into her web as an attempt to save Wilbur the pig from an untimely death.

Humbleness is described as: “the quality or state of being modest and lacking in pride or arrogance: We need to teach a different kind of leadership, one where humbleness is more important than confidence.”(© 2024 Dictionary.com, LLC)

And humility is defined as: “the quality or condition of being humble; modest opinion or estimate of one’s own importance, rank, etc.”(© 2024 Dictionary.com, LLC)

Humility isn’t easy for most of us. Even when putting others first, we can be prideful. We long to be acknowledged, and may not be willing to let someone else have all the attention.

We need to remember that humility doesn’t mean being worth less than others.

Jesus is our Savior and yet He was willing to wash His disciples’ feet before the Passover meal. Jesus explained to them that this act and all that He had taught them served as examples of how we are to serve others.

When serving with humility, we strive to follow His plans. That may mean changing our plans to accommodate others. We might let someone have the last word in a disagreement even when we believe we are right. It means admitting our own mistakes and forgiving others for their own.

Wilbur was a humble pig. He loved his friends and took care of generations of Charlotte’s babies, eagerly waiting for them to launch off into the bigger world.

We all have a place in this world that we are meant to fill. We can appreciate who we are in Christ and still be humble by remembering that everything we have comes from the Lord and we are honoring Him by serving others in love.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, living with humility is not easy for us. We long to be Your helpers in this world, yet we struggle to find the right balance between being humble and seeming weak. Help us to follow Your Word which reminds us to “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.” (James 4:10) In Christ’s name, Amen.

Journal: Where have you struggled with humility? Proverbs 22:4 reminds us that “The result of humility is fear of the Lord, along with wealth, honor, and life.”