On Humility

Greetings Dear Reader,

Today is Be Humble day and exactly two weeks before Shrove Tuesday. It seems the two are more interconnected than one can enumerate. My Grandfather used to always say the same thing whenever humility came up. “Humility: the moment you think you have it, you have lost it.”

I realize that with Christ as my advocate before God I do not need a human mediator to shrive me of my sin. That does not mean that I do not need to be shriven. I need to daily address my short comings (maybe momently instead of daily). I need to give my whole self to God the moment I awaken and try my best not to forget that throughout each day.

Unfortunately this process requires humility. It is humility that is the struggle. It is humility that is necessary to realize that I need forgiveness. I need to set aside pride and self to assure that I do not step on anyone. It is humility that fuels the ability to see others better than myself. It is humility that drives me to see the needs of others.

I wrestle with this daily. When I know I am right or when others are not what I know they could be I struggle to remember that I do not KNOW what is best for anyone. I have the ability to guide others but must constantly defend from imposing that guidance unasked for and unbidden.

I must embrace humility if wisdom is to thrive within me. I must be ready to hear the words of others that can guide me into being a better man. This also requires humility. I must come to the end of my self and embrace that if I am to unlock my true potential it is a result of total dependence on God. The only path to this is humility.

Since I cannot claim to be humble and still be humble, I can never say that I have achieved any of the above goals. Not until the final purge of the fallen self and its selfishness will I able to say that I have. Until then I must constantly embrace the fleeting humility so that I can grow closer to Christ and live his example.

It takes humility to do any of these things but the paradox lies in that exercising humility is an act of the will. For that I am poorly equipped. Fortunately for me, that is why God extends his grace.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a home owner. He brings new and old things out of his treasure store."