Honest Humility

Humility, the state of being humble, is a necessary posture of living that Christians should continually realign themselves with throughout their lives.  Because humility chafes against the grain of our fleshly lives, we need to establish a practical methodology of humbling ourselves when the pull of pride rears its ugly head. For this, there are some keys to apply in the endeavor for humility.

One key to humility is Recognition.  We need to become so attuned and self-aware that we will be constantly on guard against the pride inside.  If we are to become humble we need to be ready and able to examine the depths of who we are with honesty.  The recognition of pride is one of the fundamental keys to maintaining humility.

Another key is Honesty.  This may seem rather obvious but honesty in this sense needs further definition.  It is not enough to be honest with our faults in the quest for humility, we must also be honest with our strengths.  More often than not it is our strengths, those traits or talents we posses and cherish, that cause pride and arrogance.  Ultimately, our strengths are given us by God and to be used for His glory and purposes.  Unfortunately, we can so overvalue our strengths that our attitude towards our strengths may become the stumbling block to true humility.

The final key to humility is Assessment.  Because humility is to be our ever-present attitude, we need to develop a sure and steady practice of self-assessment.  Employing the other keys of recognition and honesty, consistent assessment equips us to see areas in which we may be less than humble.  This valuable bit of information is necessary for us to meet pridefulness with correction and realign ourselves with humility.

Through recognition of pride, honesty with ourselves, and consistent assessment, we will form an attitude and posture of humility that should guide our lives.  The importance of humility cannot be overemphasized.  Scripture speaks often about the value and necessity of humility (for a start: Pro. 15:33; Rom. 12:3; Eph. 2:8-9; James 4:6).  However, Jesus' statement seems the most direct and applicable: "whoever exalts himself shall be humbled, whoever humbles himself shall be exalted (Matt.  23:12)."  Therefore, let us strive for humility in Him and for Him!