Humility Redefined

We don't have the English word we need to describe what the Beatitudes called meekness. However, I saw an example of humility or biblical meekness the other night while listening to a a rock/country singer-songwriter, Jelly Roll. He obviously didn’t live a privileged life like mine but found his way to the stage of the Grand Ole Opry singing a song called “I Need a Favor”. The line from this song that caught my attention goes like this:

I only talk to God when I need a favor
And I only pray when I ain’t got a prayer
So tell me, who the hell am I to expect a Savior
When I only talk to God if I need a favor?

These words contain honesty, transparency, relationship and not a hint of entitlement. In the act of making this statement there is freedom and strength. This expresses a level of humility that Christ would have us aspire to learn.

I find it fascinating that the Bible, a collection of books penned by so many different people across so much time, has unifying themes that run from Genesis to Revelation. The theme that has caught my attention lately is humility, also called meekness. It is pointed out over and over as a quality that God wants in us. But I feel like our culture has no clue what this important virtue is and has filed it under “niceties that no one cares about”. Yet it is held in high esteem in the narratives in the Bible.

Mother Theresa and Fred Rogers are examples of those who lived a life of humility. I have heard it said that if a person is truly humble, no one around them is aware of it during their lifetime. If you Google examples of humble people it will give you examples of famous people who fly economy class or had small private weddings rather than big extravaganzas. We all know humility is so much more. It is such an important concept and sadly, we don’t even know the correct definition of it. So how can we ever aspire to something about which we know so little?

The Webster definition of humility is freedom from pride or arrogance. I think Mr. Webster nailed it. I really like the “freedom” part of that definition. In humility there is great freedom! It is humble transparency that leads us to this freedom. Transparency is not being secretive or ashamed but being open about who you are and what is in your past. If you are transparent you don’t hide information that you feel would cast you in a bad light. Humble people don’t worry about what others think about them because they aren’t focusing on themselves. So humility knows its flaws and deeply regrets them and doesn’t try to hide them. If we daily accept the forgiveness Jesus offered us, we find such freedom! So I believe humility goes hand in hand with transparency and in this, there is definitely freedom.

Because its ego is not puffed up, the humble are not easily deflated. And because they do not focus on themselves, they are not easily deflated like those who are seeing only themselves and what they lack compared to others. Because of this, they are not fragile like the rest of us. The best kept secret of meekness is that there is great strength in it.

I have noticed the humble are secure, selfless and unhurried. Picture Mr. Rogers singing and slowly putting on his sweater. Humility doesn’t watch a clock because its focus is on others and not on a schedule. Humility believes it is owed nothing in this life and lives gratefully. It is delighted with any good thing that comes its way and sees blessings all around them. The humble are joyful. As created beings, this is the only stance we should take. We had nothing to do with our creation but we were amazingly designed. We cannot get puffed up about it but we can’t curse it either. We are totally dependent on our Creator. In this, there is honesty and no entitlement.

Mistaken Motivations

 It is that time of year. The dreaded pleas for helpers in Vacation Bible School fill my soul with fear. True confession: I would rather go shopping in a rattlesnake pit than work in Vacation Bible School. Long story, but suffice it to say the last time I worked in VBS I ended up in the emergency room and was happier there. So why did I volunteer? What sort of insanity drove me to do it? Well, I think it was a mixture of several things including Baptist preacher’s daughter conditioning, guilt and confusion over what God wants from me. I thought He wanted me to prove my love for Him in the most sacrificial way I could imagine. That, for me, was VBS.

Jesus had a lot to say about motivations, especially in His Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7. And He was always pointing out motivations behind actions like when he compared the prayer of the Tax Collector and the Pharisee in Luke 18:9-14. Both prayed but each with different motives. To God, clearly, motivation matters.

Recently, I was listening to an episode in the Things Above podcast called Abba Experience by James Bryan Smith. He was talking about the singer songwriter Rich Mullins and told a story from Rich. It goes like this. Rich was in Thailand and met a missionary and was talking to her. He said to her, “You know, I just want the Lord to use me”. And she said, “Well, forget it”. And Rich was stunned. And then she went on to say, “God doesn’t need you for anything. God doesn’t want to use you. He wants you to love Him”.

This is key. When I was serving in VBS, I was confused about what God wanted from me. I thought He wanted me to do the most sacrificial thing. But that is not what God asks of me. He asks me to love Him above all else. After all, that command made the number one position in the top ten way back in Exodus. And how do you show someone how much you love them? By spending time with them in conversation. By getting to know what they like and dislike, thinking about them all day long, allowing yourself to fall in love. By prioritizing your time with them over all else.

That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t serve Him. It means a shift in thinking and in our time. We must prioritize our own time with God before we begin to think about serving. Only then can we serve free from ulterior motivations of guilt, power, authority, approval, recognition or a desire to be needed. Only then, will our motivations be pure, filled only with humility and love. Then the realization will be that when you serve it is a privilege, accepting a blessing from God knowing if you serve for the wrong reasons you are taking a blessing from someone else. A sure sign that you are doing this is burn-out and frustration with other people while you are serving.

Also from the same podcast by James Bryan Smith was this quote from Dallas Willard, “You must arrange your days so that you can experience deep contentment, joy and confidence in your everyday life with God”. This involves slowing down, saying no, creating space and margin in your day. Life is a marathon, not a sprint. Pace yourself. Arrange for time to be with God and cast your cares on Him.