Anecdote No. 5: A Hunger for Humble Pie
A few searches through Merriam-Webster’s dictionary left me, at best, with a somewhat vague yet unsatisfying definition of what it means to be humble. Apparently, it is synonymous with meekness, modesty, and lowliness all of which imply thinking less of oneself or being deficient in the rank of some hierarchy. Literally. The exact words were “ranking low in some hierarchy.” The entry for meek confused me all the more with its apparently contradictory definitions: “characterized by patience or long-suffering” and immediately after “deficient in spirit and courage.” How can one be deficient in spirit or courage when one clearly has the patience to endure hardship? Talk about con-fu-sing. So, what does it mean to be humble - to know and show true humility - and why does it matter?
Perhaps the first step towards understanding the importance and necessity of true humility in living a life of faith is to examine pride or vanity, its opposite, and something we all know a thing or two about.
I have always been captivated by French philosopher Blaise Pascal’s profound thoughts on the issue of pride: “Vanity is so anchored in the heart of man that...those who write against it want to have the glory of having written well; and those who read it desire the glory of having read it.” In other words, he appears to be saying that pride is so deeply ingrained in the fibre of our humanity that it is near impossible to do anything in true humility, however noble our intentions may be. We can’t escape the clutches of pride even with our humblest human efforts. Our actions are always, to a degree, motivated by self-interest whether it is humble recognition, modest self-esteem, the satisfaction that hard work, helping others, or being humble in a situation gives us, or even being admired or esteemed for our humility. And let’s face it, those of us who are considered by others – and who consider ourselves - as quite humble compared to others (ironically, even in making such a comparison do we reflect that hint of pride) are shamed by those moments when pride gets the better of us. We’re no better than the next person whom we consider ourselves better than.
Being a wife brings out these moments more often than not. It’s crazy how hard it is to admit I’m wrong and to say sorry because I know it’s my fault. All this to the one I love. That’s pride at its best. So how does one embrace and exercise true humility amidst the natural inclinations of pride? Living by faith is itself living a life of humility to say the least. God requires us to “walk humbly” with him and among all people (Micah 6:8). What does this actually mean and how is it possible given the pride that we all struggle with?
True humility is seen in the life of Jesus Christ and it is his humility that God’s righteous people are called and set apart to imitate. In Philippians 2 we learn that God himself in the person of Jesus “made himself nothing” and became “obedient to death on a cross.” God – the Creator of the universe, the Most High, the Beginning and the End - became a man. He took on the appearance and form of a person, a servant of all people, and though he was in nature God, Jesus did not even consider equality with God as something to be grasped. Wow. How is that even possible? It’s unfathomable, that’s for sure.
So, what implications does this have for my life and yours? It’s impossible to live by faith with pride in one’s heart or head. Christ and pride are at war with one another. Both desire the opposite and, to put it simply, cannot be reconciled. One must die for the other to live. Imitating Christ’s humility first and foremost requires a complete surrender to the presence of God – the Holy Spirit – in one’s heart and life. Often, daily. Isaiah 66:2 says “This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.” Only the Holy Spirit can create a humble and contrite and repentant spirit. Only the Spirit can create reverence for God's Word. Moreover, only the humble can be guided towards doing what is right (Psalm 25:9).
Living in humility requires life in community – both of unbelievers and believers. The same book (Philippians) that implores the attitude that we are to have (Christ’s humility) includes the situations that would require us to demonstrate humility. Looking not only to our interests but also to the interests of others implies that our humility should impact others, everyone around us. Not that we act so that others will see our humility and praise it and us (that's pride fueling our actions). But rather, that others would see Christ-likeness in our attitude and actions and be impacted for the better by it (to the end that they would come to know Christ, too). When Paul says “be like-minded, [have] the same love, [be] one in spirit and purpose” this implies exercising humility within the brotherhood of believers – the church. After all, we are His church.
Friend, living humbly is next to impossible to do without the Holy Spirit and further, without a conscious surrender to the Holy Spirit - to the very spirit of Jesus who is our ultimate example of humility. And we all need to practice some humility in our life - in our marriages, in our friendships, in our workplace, with siblings, around parents, to those we would otherwise consider 'lesser' to us. Humility isn’t natural to human nature as pridefulness is. In fact, our culture sees it as weakness (but, that’s another blog). God’s righteous people, however, know that only with a humble heart can one truly live a life that is pleasing to God and one that will build others up in what matters. So, take a bite (or two, or three) of that Humble Pie – made by The Chef himself. You’ll find that a little bit goes a long way.
“Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” – Philippians 2:12b-13
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