“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.”
James 4:10 (NIV)
Have you ever wrestled with the concept of humility? Merriam Webster defines “humble” as a spirit of deference or submission, being unpretentious or insignificant. Similarly, the Cambridge English Dictionary declares being humble as tending to consider yourself as having no special importance that makes you better than others. Are these accurate definitions? Should I truly believe I am insignificant, and have no special importance?
C.S. Lewis’s book The Screwtape Letters, is a creative exchange of notes between two demons, one of whom is assigned to oversee a human. Screwtape warns Wormwood that his “patient” is becoming humble. He encourages Wormwood to make the man “aware of this virtue,” thus when he proclaims himself to be humble, he will, in actuality, be “prideful of his own humility.” Ugh!
So how exactly does one remain humble without becoming self-abasing, or prideful over his/her own humility?
Being humble does not mean we must belittle ourselves nor does it mean we must decline others’ praise for our accomplishments. God has purposefully gifted each of us in unique ways, with character qualities that He desires for us to recognize and enjoy. We need not minimize personal areas of strength. Jesus, the epitome of humility, never demeaned Himself publicly.
In C.S. Lewis’s book, Mere Christianity. He states, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.” In other words, a truly humble man will not be self-abasing or thinking about how to exhibit his own humility. Instead, He will choose to focus on God and on others.
Perhaps we could say that humility is more of an attitude than an action. The closer we draw to God, and the more we desire His will, the more humble our attitude toward others will become. We won’t have to strive for it. He will do the work in us.
“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:29)