Skip to main content

A Question on Humility

I really wrestle before God on the subject of humility. I confess, I am sorely lacking. But I also get jumbled in my mind. How do I, or better yet, how do we have the same mind, same love, being in full accord and of one mind, when all around us, everything is so polarized.  

Phil 2:1-4 says: "So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any partcipation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others."

I love Christ, and I DO want to emulate His humility. But I am human. I often don't know what this looks like.


If I speak on behalf of those who suffer, there are many who have not experienced suffering, and can be offended by what I say - even if I didn't intend offence.

And when I speak, because I have suffered, I wonder if I am doing something from selfish ambition or conceit? Or is it the other - am I counting others (those who have suffered) more significant than myself?

This applies to many other polarized conversations we may be having in the church today.

Humility is so difficult to navigate. My heart is deceitful above all things (Jer 17:9). I am thankful the Lord searches my heart, and tests my mind (Jer 17:10). I sincerely pray the Lord would see if there is any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting (Ps 139:24). I do fail. God, please help. I don't know my own heart. Honestly, it's all over the place. There is ugliness, absolutely. Please forgive my pride.

I pray God will help my heart to be more like Christ's, who humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death (Phil 2:8).

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Spiritual Battle for My Soul (learn from my near disastrous path to darkness):

After my dear, sweet friend was murdered, I got very lost. I nearly lost my soul.  I pursued a terrifying road to hell.   Grief is always intense, a drowning sensation, an end that is impossible to accept. But in this instance, grief was mingled with profound betrayal. The murderer was also my friend. He was a pastor. I was part of his wedding party. We served in ministry together. He was one of the first to encourage my own relationship with Sony. He was like a little brother. When he was sick, I made soup for him. We laughed together, we sang together, we lived next door to one another. I always had some concerns about him, and he knew it. He often found me glaring at him for this or that childish behaviour. But we laughed about that too. I was protective of the girls, and he knew it. He was part of my main friend group. And he betrayed all of us. All of us…and most of all, her and his own baby. In this case, grief was mingled with confusion. I thought he wa...
Post a Comment
Read more

Is the Word 'Woke' Helpful in our Engagement with Others?

I’ve always been taught the importance of words and their meanings. I remember my Dad expressing frustration when I flippantly used the word ‘awesome’ as a teenager. This particular word has a glorious meaning, a meaning that my Dad cherished. And my use of the word made it meaningless! He was offended because ‘awesome’ is how God is described. His desire for me was to preserve this word for God, who is holy.  For my dad, awesome meant: “Arousing or inspiring awe; that fills someone with reverential fear, wonder, or respect.” (Oxford English Dictionary) For me, as a teenager, I used the word awesome to describe even the most mundane things. If someone spilled their drink all over their white shirt, I might sarcastically remark: ‘Well, isn’t that awesome?’ Or if someone belched really loudly, I might have said: ‘Awesome!’ I used the word 'awesome' constantly as a teen, but I rarely used this word in the way it was intended to be used.  I confess, I still sometimes use the word ...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Plight of Christendom in this Unsettled Moment

I have engaged in more political conversations over the last few months than I have ever done in my life. I keep asking myself ‘why?’. I am not really a political creature. Sadly, I understand more about American politics than I do Canadian politics. I lived in the States for a little while, and I learned a lot more than I expected. People are more political in the States, and I learned by listening to others in discussion. I don’t have as many of these conversations here in Canada. I confess, as a Canadian, I don’t usually know who or what I am voting for when I vote. My life is spent in other spaces. I do a quick glance at the platforms, and I vote. I often don’t watch any of the debates. Life is overwhelming, and trying to figure out what is happening in politics is often something I would not normally prioritize. I suspect most of my friends function like this too. So why am I engaging this so much right now? It started because this year I did want to know who I am vot...
Post a Comment
Read more