Putting On Humility
By Mike Kurtz
After last Friday night’s Fall Conference session on pride, I was left to wonder what to do with all this pride we had inside. The list of symptoms of pride were nearly exhaustive, and I doubt there was a soul in that session who didn’t feel the weight of sin that night. I couldn’t wait to hear what Jim (the speaker) would say Saturday morning…
We read in Col. 3:12 that we are to clothe ourselves with humility among other things. What is humility? A good answer is found in Phil. 2:3 where Paul writes:
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests but to the interests of others. (Phil. 2:3-4)
The implication here is clear and sharply difficult – to consider others better than ourselves, and to look to the interests of others first (that is the implication in the Greek). So when Paul tells us to clothe ourselves with these virtues, this is like trying to put on heavy armor. It is no easy task.
How do we consider others actually better than ourselves? The NAS translates it to say that we are to regard others as more important than ourselves, and perhaps that gets to the point a little better. It is more important what they think than what I think. It means listening and valuing others’ thoughts rather than trying to get mine out there. The attitude is to look to others’ interests first before mine. That is a hard road to walk.
Yesterday on my drive in to work, I was stopped at an intersection waiting for oncoming traffic to clear so I could make a left turn. In front of me was another car doing the same. Well, unfortunately for me, though the oncoming traffic had “openings” to turn, the car in front was very cautious and never turned. So I was thinking to myself, “please turn before the light turns red!” Why? Because I happened to know that there was a traffic ticket camera installed at that intersection, and I had seen it on other days flash a picture when people were stuck in the turn lane. Sure enough, the light turned yellow, and there was time… but she (the driver was a woman, no offense intended) waited until the light turned red and the oncoming traffic was completely stopped before turning. I’ll be expecting something in the mail soon…
During that incident (and I confess this is not godly at all), I wanted to honk my horn during the yellow light to get the woman to turn since it seemed clear to me that the traffic was slowing to a stop. To be honest, it was extremely frustrating. I didn’t want a ticket on my record (even if I could fight it).
Friends, that was not an attitude of humility. That was not seeing the needs of the person in front of me as more important than my own needs. If I was humble, I would have realized that her need was to feel confident and secure in an uncomfortable driving situation. If I was humble, I would have done whatever I could to help her in that need (maybe back off) because hers was more important than mine. I may not have honked at her, but my attitude was not one of humility.
What are the needs and desires of others? Humility regards them as more important than our own needs and desires. It doesn’t mean we become passive to our own needs. Some of our needs really are important. But if we can create a community of humility, then our needs will be met as well as the needs of others. But it must begin with me and you. So for the days ahead, work on putting on humility. Have the mind that puts others first. Go to work with helpful eyes. Live at home with helpful hands. Drive and shop with a helpful attitude. Clothe yourself with humility… wear it wherever you go.
