The Topic of 'Humility'

[Chiyocities]

"Don't be selfish; don't live to make a good impression on others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself." - Philippians 2:3

How many of you find humility one of the most difficult things to do in practice? We all want to be liked - it's both a strength and a weakness at the same time for many of us. Sometimes a person can even spend their entire life doing good things just so that people will like him or her. But it's very hard to do such things without reward, recognition, or personal benefit, even though we are called on to do so. It also means thinking of others first, while not being motivated or consumed about what those same people think about you.

Humility is something that is hard to achieve for me, simply because I have built my life around my own impressions. It's funny how I never really noticed that I was actually up a selfish ambition to be liked by others. With every "good" deed that I did for others, it was instead a deposit towards my ego.

In my opinion, being humble is absolutely the most hardest thing to accomplish as a Christian. But I feel that the more we practice humility, the more we can be free from winning approval from others, and focus our energy serving God. Which is exactly what the above passage says.

Anyways, just wanted to know what you guys feel about this topic.

[Sammy Boy]

I also think that humility is indeed hard to practice. Even when we are modest we may do so out of mixed motives (e.g. so others will think better of us since we are modest).

In my personal experience I have often found that the more knowledge one acquires, the harder it is to remember that we don't hold all the answers, and the easier it is to talk down to those who know less than us.

Remembering that God gives us knowledge and wisdom so that we can love Him more and help and teach others who are in need gives us a proper perspective on the role knowledge should play.

I think this also ties into 1 Peter 3:15, where we are told to answer others with gentleness and respect, something I feel we as Christians could do with more at times.

Anyway, that's what I think, thank you for sharing Chiyocities.

[termyt]

I have found that humility is not valued at all in our society. If you aren't out there blowing your own horn, you won't likely be recognized.

Of course, if you are truly humble, not being recognized is OK, and often preferred – although accepting well deserved praise does not make you vain.

The downside is that if you are not recognized at work for the good things you do, your career may suffer and possibly be terminated when down-sizing is required.

Anyway, my point is to agree with you, Chiyocities – being humble is indeed difficult and potentially career hurting. Still, I’d rather be fired for not being valuable by an inattentive manager than stand on the top of my desk and laud my meager accomplishments.

[EricTheFred]

Humility is easy to practice; we just don't want to. All it seems to take is to forget about what everyone else is thinking about you, what your image is, at all, and go do what needs doing, regardless of how hard or distasteful. In other words, the way to practice humility is to forget about practicing anything.
This is why we are so seldom humble in America. Everything we do while growing up, from acting as our parents tell us, to rebelling and refusing to act as our parents tell us, is about putting forth an image. We dress for success, or we dress for rebellion, or we dress to make some other kind of statement about what we think of the world, and of ourselves.
In other words, we think what the world thinks about us is important. Which defines a perfect lack of humility.
Go forth and serve. I'm not preaching to you, but to myself. Go forth and serve. Humility will take care of itself.

[Kale]

In my own life, I find that being humble can be a hard thing to accomplish... I think I'm better than other people... I think I have more talent... I think I'm the cat's meow...

But we really have to remember that Jesus picked the most lowly of His creation to love and keep and protect.

The only thing we are to boast in, is in Him... Sadly, you never see anyone going around sticking their thumbs in their chests, saying "I am a follower of Jesus... Top that you silly Buddhists!"

In that line of thought, we have to think of Matthew 5: 5 - “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.â€

[Chiyocities]

I agree with a lot of what's been said here and I would surely like to connect everything with what Paul says in Galatians 1:10. We definately need to look out for God and to spend time shaping our earthly motives through him.

Humility is something I've been trying to focus as a newly-born Christian. I've since given up a lot of my pride and it's has indeed hurt me emotionally. The confidence that I've gained knowing that I was better than some people was let go and I've lost the motivation to strive for any sort of ambition afterwards.

I think EricTheFred hit the mark when he mentions that we are thrust into a culture with certain expectations from others. So I can say we are all victims of pride at one time. It's just a matter of changing perceptions and seeing yourself no different than the other person (which again, can be the most difficult to reverse).

I have always wondered if things like self-confidence or self-esteem contradict being humble? Surely an inch of pride can erupt when either of those too become strong within the person.

[Syreth]

Wow, guys! Thanks for sharing. I'm really blessed right now cause of the wisdom the Lord gave you guys on this. This is actually what we all talked about tonight at youth group. This is something I really need to do. I just gotta get my eyes off my rotten self and start loving others the way Jesus wants me to. This verse came up in the discussion.

1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Romans 12:1-2

SO good! Oh man.

On the self-esteem thing... Oftentimes I think it is true that our drive for self-esteem can be counterproductive to having humility, cause even a lack of self-esteem can be a form of pride if you really think it through. We just have to get our eyes off ourselves and onto Jesus and do what He wants us to do.

[Sammy Boy]

I have always wondered if things like self-confidence or self-esteem contradict being humble? Surely an inch of pride can erupt when either of those too become strong within the person.

I think it depends on your source of self-confidence or self-esteem. If you think all that you are and have achieved is a result of your own intelligence and strength, then that kind of self-confidence or self-esteem would most likely lead to arrogance.

However, if we constantly maintain awareness that everything we are and hope to be is a result of God sustaining us and blessing us each day, then that is a kind of healthy self-confidence and self-esteem, one that recognises God as the ultimate source of power and strength. That recognition will give us a proper perspective on ourselves.

[EricTheFred]

Perhaps, instead of self-confidence and self-esteem, we should desire God-confidence and Neighbor-esteem. I like this; I think I'll keep it.

[EireWolf]

I have always wondered if things like self-confidence or self-esteem contradict being humble? Surely an inch of pride can erupt when either of those too become strong within the person.

True humility is not saying, "I am nothing." It is having a realistic perspective of who you really are, and who God is, and who you are in Him. True humility is saying, "I am God's" -- not with the smug, self-righteous attitude that so many Christians have, but with the knowledge that I belong to the Lord because of HIS goodness, not mine.

Self-confidence and self-esteem are not bad in themselves. But as a Christian, let your confidence be in Christ, and your self-esteem flow from His esteem for you as His child.

[glitch1501]

True humility is not saying, "I am nothing." It is having a realistic perspective of who you really are, and who God is, and who you are in Him. True humility is saying, "I am God's" -- not with the smug, self-righteous attitude that so many Christians have, but with the knowledge that I belong to the Lord because of HIS goodness, not mine.

Self-confidence and self-esteem are not bad in themselves. But as a Christian, let your confidence be in Christ, and your self-esteem flow from His esteem for you as His child.

well put

[Chiyocities]

Thank you for your input guys.

I think I now have a much clearer understanding on what humility is and how important it is to follow through with it.

Though just one small clarification. When one says they are "proud to be American" or "proud to be *something*," the context usually doesn't fall into pride or arrogance? In other words, is 'pride' sometimes used more loosely than it's meaning in the Bible?

[Sammy Boy]

I think sometimes context defines the meaning of a word.

When a person says that he/she is "proud of his/her son/daughter", I think that person really means his/her son/daughter is a source of great joy.

So "proud to be American" most likely means a person is content / grateful of his/her nationality.

[Tringard]

I think sometimes context defines the meaning of a word.

When a person says that he/she is "proud of his/her son/daughter", I think that person really means his/her son/daughter is a source of great joy.

So "proud to be American" most likely means a person is content / grateful of his/her nationality.

or even "not ashamed to be associated with ..."

English is not a terribly precise language in general, so context is important as Magnus said

[Lady Macbeth]

Pride is a measure of self-worth; it does not mean that you feel you are better than someone else - that would be any of the words used to show over-emphasized pride: arrogant, haughty, disdainful, supercilious. Pride is the feeling that your life is not wasted and that there is a reason for your existence.

Too many people treat "Proud to be an American" these days as those who fight against us treat it - "Arrogant American", "Haughty American", "Disdainful American". They see American Pride as our self-justification for subjugating the rest of the world. We, as Americans, allowed that to happen.

We forget the lines that came after that now-so-famous line:

And I'm proud to be an American
Where at least I know I'm free,
And I won't forget the men who died
Who gave that right to me.

We are proud to be Americans because our ancestors worked and loved and fought and died for this country that we live in today. We know that our lives have meaning and that we are worth the flesh and bone we are made of because of the dedication and determination that they put into the cause; that's why we will not forget their sacrifice.

Likewise, we have other sources of pride - including one that came from one man's work, love, struggle and death. We know that our lives have meaning and that we are worth the flesh and bone we are made of because of the dedication and determination that one man put into His cause; that's why we will not forget His sacrifice.

The root for our word "proud", incidentally, is Latin - prodesse, "to be good".