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The Importance of Being Humble
By Emmanuel Donkor
In one of his plays, William Shakespeare presents a character whose life represents the values inherent in having a humble spirit. It also presents the destruction, not only to the human being, but also to the society as a whole, when pride and arrogance rather than humility take the center stage in our lives.
In Coriolanus, a distinguished army general and a member of the aristocratic class excels as he leads his country into war with their enemy. However, he could not bring himself into submission to the people whose approval he needed in order to become a consul in the senate of the city. This is chiefly because, in spite of his heroic achievements, pride and arrogance were at the center of his life, especially his dislike for the working class people who ironically needed to approve of his candidacy. This lack of humility later proved to be his downfall as he is banished from the country that he had served honorably. Lack of humility destroyed the good soldier.
Humility is a virtue that is vital in the lives of people and nations. First Peter 5:5 says, “… all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility…” Christians are admonished to put on the spirit of humility at all times so that we would continue to bring leadership and direction to a dying generation. This virtue has brought people from obscurity into prominence. Many quarrels and conflicts among people have been averted because one party exercised the spirit of humility.
Indeed, many leaders, political or otherwise, have made significant contributions to humanity because they first thought of other people rather than themselves. They often did not consider themselves superior to others. Great leaders such as Mother Teresa and Kofi Annan immediately come to mind. These people were concerned with making the world a safer place to live in rather than thinking about themselves. Our Lord Jesus Christ rightly indicated, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6 NIV).
There is yet another area of life that has suffered immensely over the years as a result of the lack of humility. Many marriages have ended in bitter court battles and in most cases in divorce primarily because there was no understanding of the concept of humility as prescribed in the Bible by our Lord Jesus Christ through his apostles. In Ephesians 5:22-33, Paul, through the inspiration of God, lays claim to the importance of humility and submission in marriage. “Wives, submit to your own husbands as to the Lord … husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for it…” (Ephesians 5:22-25). Paul was referring to the husband humbling himself before his wife as a sign of affection and love. This is what is missing in many marriages, especially Christian marriages. The world would be a better place to live in when couples exercise humility for one another. We need to first understand what humility is. Since it is a word which is frequently used but often misunderstood, it is right that we understand what it means, especially the way it was meant to be as prescribed by our Lord Jesus Christ.
What Humility is Not
Interestingly enough, humility is also a word or concept which is often misunderstood. Some people have equated humility with humiliation. Being humble is not a sign of weakness, as many people would believe. This assertion suggests humility as having a low opinion of oneself to the extent in which one debases his potential and more importantly, God’s perception of him as one ‘created in His image and likeness.” Humility is also not the debasement of one’s potential and abilities. God, in His infinite wisdom, created us with high hopes that man would reflect His glory and His rule on earth. The mandate for mankind is to exercise dominion and authority over His creation whilst at the same time acknowledging His sovereignty. We have done two things: firstly, we have over valued ourselves to the extent that we have become both the creator and created. This is not what God intended it to be. Secondly, we have failed to see ourselves in the same way as God first saw us at the time of creation. We have not lived up to God’s expectation. This is what we need to address as we continue with His assignment on earth.
Humility
The word Humility is derived from the Latin word humilis, which means low, humble from earth. Thus, a humble person is generally thought to be unpretentious and modest, someone who does not think that he or she is better or more important than others. It is also defined as a quality by which a person considering his own defects has a “lowly” opinion of himself and willingly submits himself to God and to others for God’s sake.
Saint Thomas Acquinas, a 13th century philosopher and theologian describes humility similarly as “the virtue of humility” that “consists in keeping oneself within one’s own bounds, not reaching out to things above one but submitting to one’s superior.” Humility arises from a sense of sincere gratitude for who we are and, more importantly, what God, Creator of the universe, has made us. When we consider the enormous provision of life and peace, particularly in an increasingly unstable world, we would be humbled for God’s guidance.
Naturally, humility is comprised of the following behaviors:
- Submission to God and legitimate authority.
- Recognition of the virtues and talents that others possess, particularly those which surpass one’s own and giving due honor and when required, obeisance.
There are not many people with a humble spirit in these last days. However, we have a classic example of a person with the spirit of humility in Jesus. Though divine, He was also down to earth who lived like mankind. Jesus, unlike man, did not show false humility. In other words, He did not under value His own authority just for the sake of praise and adulation from others. He provides the perfect example of a role model for humility in a dying generation.
Jesus Christ – The Role Model In Humility
Without a doubt, our Lord Jesus Christ is a perfect example of a person who showed incredible humility even though He was by very nature, God. The apostle Paul aptly encourages us to emulate His nature:
“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God, something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness…” (Philippians 2:5-8 NIV).
Here are a few characteristics of humility that Jesus exhibited whilst He was on earth:
- He had to be led as a sheep to the slaughter, all for the sake of redeeming mankind. In other words, He denied Himself equality with God, took on the shame and the sins of mankind for whom there was no semblance in any form. This is a true mark of a person with a humble spirit.
- Even though he was the Messiah and even had His birth announced thousands of years before, He was born in lowly surroundings (Luke 2: 1-7).
- In the garden of Gethsemane, He had to “lay low” for the sake of fulfilling his divine assignment. He did not deserve to be “humiliated” by hanging on the tree. This is because He was God, totally different from mankind in character and attitude. And yet He willfully succumbed to the will of the Father. Now, this is what I call a man of humility.
True humility is recognizing the sovereign authority of God and those in authority and hence submitting to them while at the same time recognizing the potentials of people.
Be Humble!
It is amazing to often find that the great leaders of our time have all been men and women who had a great deal of humility. When we step out of the Bible, humility has been one of the virtues that has been held in the highest esteem by society. This again shows how relevant and contemporary the Word of God is. It is alive yesterday, today, and forever. This great planet, earth, would become a far more peaceful and stable place to live in if men and women would learn the values of humility. It can lift people from places of obscurity into positions of prominence.
We have been challenged by these words of wisdom. It does not kill to take a bath in the water of humility. It would make you clean, strengthen and guide you as you move from nobody into becoming somebody. What is it going to be? It is your call. i
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