The Blessings of Humility

             Recently, while reading the newsletter of a mission organization that my Church has supported for many years, I saw a picture of an elderly missionary being helped up a wet, muddy mountain road to a church.  He had his arms around two younger gentlemen whose smiles told their delight in the privilege of assisting this servant of God.  The missionary has given his life to serving the Lord.  He has spent years in prison for his faith.  He has traveled to countries where he risked further imprisonment, and he and his wife have served in more than half a dozen countries in their efforts to spread the Gospel.  He is an esteemed servant of God.

            Yet here he was relying on the help of others just so he could complete his mission.  He was there to dedicate a new church building, and he wasn’t going to let a little mud or his pride keep him from doing so.  That’s humility!

            Humility is something sorely lacking today.  Humility has been described as freedom from pride or arrogance or having a modest view of one’s own importance—just the opposite of what our culture teaches.  Today, much emphasis is placed on our position or status.  Our focus is on personal accolades, attaining top positions in our school and career, and looking out for “number 1”.  Humility is often the farthest thing from our minds.

            God has a different outlook.  In Jesus’ sermon on the mount, He gave us the Beatitudes.  Number three in that list says, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth (Matthew 5: 5 NIV84).  The Message by Eugene Peterson puts it this way, “You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less.  That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.”

            It’s hard to find contentment with “just who we are” when the world tells us to want more and more.  The question is, will we listen to the world or to God? 

            In the book of Proverbs, God says it like this:

            “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom” (Proverbs 11: 2 NIV84).

            “Before his downfall a man’s heart is proud, but humility comes before honor” (Proverbs 18: 12 NIV84).

            As we grow older, we find that there are things that we can no longer do.  As a result, we need help whether we want to admit it or not.  That requires us to humble ourselves and allow others to serve us—not because we are worthy of any special privileges but because our dependence on them gives them the privilege of serving. 

            It may not have been easy for that missionary to admit that he couldn’t make it up that muddy slope without help.  However, his humility gave great joy to the men who were privileged to assist him.  At the same time, his willingness to accept assistance was a witness to those around him that the mission was more important than he was. 

            How is your humility today?  Are you willing to see yourself as less important than the mission God has given you?  I know that I struggle with accepting help, even when I know that I need it.  Perhaps it’s time that each of us focus on the mission rather than on ourselves.

Philippians 2: 3 – 8