Humility: That’s not it

In our series on humility, we began by defining what we mean by humility and what humility wars against. Today we will take a brief look at the things that pass for humility but are not.

Here are some of the things mistaken for humility:

• Speaking softly is not humility, you can speak with volume, firmness and conviction and still be humble.
• Avoiding conflict is not humility, there are many things in life that we need to confront, we should do so in the right spirit rather than avoiding confrontation altogether.
• Praising others or speaking negatively about yourself is not humility, despite common misconceptions humility is not a negative view of yourself, just an honest one in the light of God and his word.
• Displaying a lack of confidence is not humility, we should put our trust in the Lord and so be confident in his ability for us and in us.
• Avoiding eye contact is not humility, we should be able to look someone in the eye and remain humble.
• Having a sad demeanour is not humility, nor is having downcast body language.

To be truly humble as believers we need to submit ourselves to God’s word revealed in the bible and allow our lives to be governed by God the Holy Spirit.

It is only when we cultivate and keep on working at walking in the spirit of humility that we will be in a position to be good place makers, bringing God’s presence wherever we go and expanding his kingdom through the proclamation of the truth and acts of service powered by God’s love.

So don’t fake humility, actually be humble from the very core of your being by applying God’s word to your life. A good place to start will be to meditate on the beatitudes and the famous love chapter.

Mathew 5 – 7 and 1 Corinthians 13

Lets not fake it, let’s really be it by God’s grace.