What comes to your mind when you think of humility? Is it desirable? Distasteful? Beneficial? Useless?
I never thought much of humility until I hit an emotional, mental and physical bottom. I used to live life in the fast lane. I did everything on a whim, and was unconcerned where that impulsive urge would take me. It led me to disastrous consequences and caused my life to spiral out of control. Doing it my way always made things worse.
Anger, resentment, bitterness and fear had their way with me. My blindness to rightful behaving drove me into a darkness filled with loneliness and full of despair. Pride dominated my entire being and ego fed my self-worth. When the suffering from an unsaved lifestyle became unbearable, God stepped in and rescued me. I am grateful He pulled me up and out of that dreadful place.
When the Lord delivered me from the bondage of self, He introduced me to Christ. That transition was a gradual process because it took years to take root. I had to cast away my negative outlook on life and be relieved from my agnosticism.
Slowly and subtly my attitudes of defying God began melting away. He forgave me and loved me in such a way that it left no doubt in my mind the absolute truth of His existence. And the main ingredient to my rebirth was humility.
In this journey with Christ, little by little, I started becoming teachable, and it has been a desirable and beneficial approach to life. The Holy Spirit entered my heart, and that epiphany awakened me to salvation. As a result, from abandoning myself to Jesus, the essentials of humility emerged.
Here is what I have discovered about being humble:
1. Selflessness
One of the main ingredients in living a humble life is giving of oneself without expecting a return. We first learn this quality in devotion. Embracing the Messiah through prayer is the beginning of a lifelong commitment in surrendering our wills and lives over to His saving protection. Sincerity speaks volumes to God, and when we approach Him in this manner, our hearts are open to receive His grace.
Christ presents us with situations, where we are to offer our selfless services. If we are spiritually prepared, we won’t miss the mark in extending Jesus helping hand. Christianity is all about presentation, and when we practice unconditional loving kindness, those around us experience the essence of Christ.
Throughout any given day, there are a number of ways we can carry out altruistic deeds. The ones that make the biggest difference are simple and require awareness to another’s existence. Being observant to our surroundings opens up opportunities where we can be in the position to act accordingly to their needs. We may not know what it is, but their body language gives an indication. Let’s take a look at some examples of selfless action. Holding the door open for someone, expressing kindness to the checkout clerk or asking somebody if you can help them are readily available. We don’t have to wait to be asked to reach out to others because real giving is all about taking the lead and doing the will of God.
Those are only a few instances of living selflessly and the more we humble ourselves before Christ, the better we become in recognizing His direction in getting out of ourselves. As we act upon His commands by extending ourselves to others, He inspires us to continue looking for other ways in providing selfless acts.
2. Gratitude
Behind every blessing God grants, there is a gift. Those gifts are His unique way of letting us know how much He loves us. The Lord’s greatest gift is salvation through Christ Jesus, and there is no way not be grateful for eternal life. We all know the huge difference this makes in finding the daily bread that protects us from the one who can destroy both flesh and soul.
An attitude of gratitude pleases God because we are acknowledging our contentment with what we have instead of being entangled with what we don’t possess. Being thankful is letting Christ know the provisions He provides is all that really matters. Jesus in return will take us places and do for us what we are unable to do alone. Everything is possible with Christ.
Gratitude is humility in disguise. Modesty is accepting our human limitations and striving for the heavenly treasures Christ is so willing to give those who pick up their cross and walk with Him. Meekness leads to a full transformation of the heart, and we discover a deeper appreciation for our Christian lives. We realize the more we become Christ-like, the easier it is to express our gratitude to God.
3. Anonymity
In the world, we live in, it is challenging to be anonymous. Our society prides itself on personal recognition in a fast paced environment. The “getting notice syndrome” promotes self-centeredness and blocks God’s grace. When the emphasis of life is placed solely on individuality, there is no room for Christ to perform His works. The best way to avoid this pitfall is following Christ and performing unknown acts.
A definition of anonymity is doing something for someone without bringing attention to oneself and humility is the absence of pride. Devotion will reveal specific situations where God has guided us to act in that manner. The blessing we receive from the Lord when we actually apply ourselves anonymously are fantastic. This connection with Christ’s magnificent way of living is rewarding, uplifting and exhilarating Christian experience.
Here is one of the ways this works in my life. One day I started noticing the trash on the floor in the public restrooms at work. My first thought was how inconsiderate it is to leave garbage in such an improper manner for someone else to throw away. By putting myself in the shoes of the housekeepers and thinking about how this would make me feel I began picking up the trash and throwing it away.
When I started doing this, my attitude focused on why someone would do this, but God shifted my mindset into understanding the meaning of selflessness. I enjoy doing something without being noticed. I am continuing to grow in this type of giving and look forward to other opportunities to act accordingly.
Finding anonymous situations derive from an up close and personal involvement with Christ. It is in aligning ourselves with God’s will that we can discard our individual interests and work for the common welfare of our neighbors. The spiritual growth generated from those deeds far outweigh the short-lived elation from being recognized for personal attributes.
The wisdom behind humility is priceless. A humble life is full of love, compassion and forgiveness, leading to a Christian awakening filled with Christ’s incredible strength and God’s amazing grace. Humility is the antidote for pride and the victory over temptation. Willingness is its principal and actions speaks louder than words.
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