Authentic Humility
O.K. here’s a tough one for you…
If you were to come into a bunch of money, would the people who know you be genuinely happy for you?
…or this one…
If you were to be honored with an award, like “Employer of the Year”, would your employees be glad? Would they happily tell their friends about you?
….more close to home….
If you were picked as your town’s “best dad”, would your children be genuinely smiling? “High fiving” each other? Warm in their hearts that others had recognized their awesome Dad?
When I’m asked what makes a great mentor, one of the first words that pops into my head is humility. Not false humility. But the real deal. The kind you can’t fake.
Where does that kind of humility come from?
From a deep-seeded belief that God is the source of your success…ALL your success. Humble men believe that whatever they’re being praised for wouldn’t be if it weren’t for Him. Either His hand in the events and circumstances, His hand in building Godly character…whatever the good in them, it’s from Him.
And if you really stop and think about what you’d be without Him, it’s not a stretch to give Him the credit. He either changed you or protected you. All by yourself, you’d be a lot less than you are with Him living inside you.
One of my favorite Proverbs (23:7) says “As he thinketh in his heart, so is he.” If you truly “think in your heart” that you deserve the credit….that it’s really your tenacity, your brains, your personality that’s making you successful, then you will never be humble. It’s only when you come to realize that it’s God, not you, that makes everything happen. He is the Creator of your success. He can end it in a heartbeat, or by allowing a heart to stop its beat.
Only with this realization will you be able to gain true humility.
So whenever praise comes your way, say “thank you”. It’s rude to reject someone’s kind words. But look for a way to immediately deflect the credit to who really deserves it.
“The crucible is for silver, the furnace is for gold, and a righteous man is tested by his praise” Proverbs 27:21
Question: Are you authentically humble? Do you truly believe that all your success comes from God?
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Responses (2)
Great post! Pride is so subtle. I dismiss it and I would never say, “I am humble.”
However, in my heart I would think stuff like… “I am a success because I am diligent” or “God gave me this skill, I am just being faithful”… I would assign some noble characteristic to mask the pride.
I have found a connection between self reliance and stress. Self reliance makes me the source instead of God. When I seek His wisdom, direction and strength the issue becomes God’s to perform.
This will set me to search my soul and give honor where honor is due.
Again great post!
When we remember that almost every sin comes from pride….from wanting what we want instead of what God wants….it follows that humility is a hard thing to live out consistently. One has to have a clear perspective on who God is and who they are. Two fundamental factors of human enlightenment….1) There is a God and 2) I am NOT him.