HUMILITY IS NOT STUPIDITY

Proverbs 22:4 NET
The reward for humility and fearing the LORD is riches and honor and life.

Dear Believer,

Let’s discuss humility today.

Dr. Leonard Sax who I consider my favorite writer on psychology makes a very strong and beautiful case for humility in his book, The Collapse of Parenting. He says the first job of parents is to teach their children humility.

That isn’t a popular statement by any means. Today, parents and just about everyone else are crazy with the ‘affirmation fad.’ Everybody wants to puff up and insist that they are the best. This has created a society where people don’t want to respect others. Just look around and see how most of today’s young people act and speak to older people and people in general.

Dr. Sax says even many parents don’t know what true humility is, so they don’t know how to teach it to their children. He says, “Those parents think that humility means trying to convince yourself that you’re stupid when you know you are smart.” He then adds, “That’s not humility. That’s psychosis: a detachment from reality.”

Humility is not synonymous with stupidity. And it isn’t timidity. It doesn’t mean putting yourself down; it means honoring others and making them feel like you would want people to make you feel.

Humility means going out of your way to serve others even when you have needs of your own. It means putting others first and not going ballistic when you feel that the honor due you has been given to another. Humility means choosing to express yourself in a language of respect even when you can be rude.

Arrogant people are toxic people and a poison to the world. It is the humble that gives the fragrance of peace to the world.

To save mankind, Christ had to humble Himself.

Phillipians 2:8-9 KJV
And being found in fashion as a man, [Christ] humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name.

He humbled Himself, so God highly exalted Him!

There’s no other way before God to get exalted except through humility. Prayer, fasting, preaching , hardworking and other activities are good, but will never be enough. The crass, arrogant know-it-all who keeps throwing his weight around is only digging a pit under himself. He can only go down, down, down.

There’s promotion for the humble, but remember this always: humility must be a way of life, not a pretended attitude assumed for a while so that you can get something from God or man. Fake humility is as bad as genuine pride.

1Peter 5:6 KJV
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.

Many are not where they are because they aren’t as humble as they should be. Learn humility, make it a way of life and see how God promotes.

Now speak to your Father:
My heavenly Father, I ask that You teach me by the Holy Spirit to overcome pride and walk in humility in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Have a pleasant weekend.

Your friend,
Deon.