I have never quite understood the concept of humility. I know that Christians are supposed to be humble but I have never heard it explained in a way that is practical. One day last week my devotion was about humility, and I am not saying that I have it figured out (because that would be unhumble) but I think I am closer to understanding what humility looks like on a practical level. I think it is not just one thing, like “don’t be proud”. It encompasses many things.
In Deuteronomy 8 God is telling the Israelites not to forgot Him. It was God who led them out of Egypt and gave them bread their forefathers had never eaten and gave them water from a rock and never let there clothes or shoes wear out. It was God who provided. And I couldn’t help but wonder if God didn’t pick the place of the Promised Land so that the Israelites would have to cross the desert. Because in crossing a barren, dry land they would have to depend on God and they would know that God had provided everything they ate, drank, and wore. It was God who blessed them. Maybe God was preparing them, teaching them dependence on Him and that all blessings come from Him so that when they arrived in the Promised Land they would not grow proud and think that all they had was by their hands. So, I think part of being humble is knowing that all I have God provided and that He keeps providing, even when I am at my worst.
Proverbs 11:2 “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble comes wisdom.” Psalm 25:9 speaks of God leading and teaching the humble in His ways. I think another part of being humble is being able to learn from others and God. It’s not thinking that you know everything there is to know about everything but being open to learning and growing in all things.
I also think that being humble means that when others insult or slander you, you don’t get offended. As I was having this devotion I realized that I can get offended pretty easy at some things. That stems from pride. It is saying that “I am so wonderful and great that nobody should ever think anything else.” On the flip side being a person who talks about others and puts them down comes from pride as well. People will always criticize and gossip and just be plan mean. That’s just part of life. But I don’t have to be one of them and I don’t have to get upset when others do it to me.
MacKenzie