“Humility is not thinking less of yourself, It’s thinking of yourself less”
-C.S. Lewis
Rather it be arrogance or depression, pride always focuses on itself. C.S. Lewis’s quote really speaks to the heart of this concept. Too often we relate humility to low self-esteem, when on the contrary rather you think highly of yourself, or you think very low of yourself, the problem is you are still thinking of yourself. When it comes to your relationships, the greater degree of your humility, the more rewarding the relationship will be.
My wife and I are going on our second year of marriage. We dated for just under three years before that, and though we have gotten in little arguments, like any relationship will have, I can honestly say we have never been in a fight. I’ve never raised my voice at her, nor has she stormed out of a room in rage. I know we are young in our relationship but I also know that its only by the grace of God that such a level of peace exists with us. I believe that we opened the door for this kind of peace through humility. When I married Leah, it wasn’t because of what I thought she could do for me, it was because I thought serving God with her would be way more fun for the both of us then to go at it alone. I never looked to Leah as a source of my happiness, a source of encouragement, or a source of help, instead I looked at God as my source for these things. On countless occasions God has used my wife to be a channel of happiness, encouragement, and help, but never did I expect or place the burden of being that for me on her. Don’t get me wrong, I’m very vulnerable around my wife, and I open up to her about most everything, I just ask her to pray with me for the answers instead of leaning on her to be my answer. If I were to marry my wife for what she can do, or what she could be for me, I would be marrying her for selfish reasons.
“Humility is reality”
-Keith Moore
The reality is God is your provider, your healer, your redeemer, your protector, your victory, your hope, your future, your reason, your everything. The best parts of you are the parts you’ve surrendered to Him. Your accomplishments are a result of His giftings. Your good looks, your intellectual prowess, and your strength are by His design. Your drive, your passions, and even your dreams are placed, and ignited by God. Humility is realizing that your victories are not yours alone. It’s not pride to think highly of yourself, because God thinks highly of you. Just remember Who gave you life, the ability, and the drive to be who you are. Humility is accepting the reality of what you cannot see.
The Bible says that God promotes the humble, I believe this is because when He gives money to a humble person, they spread that increase to His people, when He gives a humble person influence, they leverage that influence to bring God’s love into people’s lives, when God gives the fame, they use that fame to point the public’s eye back to God. Because it’s not about them, they don’t take credit for the blessings of their loving father, and they give to the people who need it.
“Humility breeds Love for God.”
The more you give honor to God for all that is good, in you, around you, and for you, the more your heart swells with love for your God. When you lean on God instead of your own understanding, you form a connection with God. Your relationship with God thrives on your faith and your humility. God gave you your life, your time, and the ability to choose what to do with it, and the humble man or woman chooses God because they believe that. The more you choose God in all you do, the more you look to him for the answer instead of your own mind, the more you shift the attention on him instead of you, the stronger your relationship with him becomes.
I couldn’t think of a better way to wrap up the idea of seeing relationship through humility than to talk about Moses.
“Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.”
-Numbers 12:3
Moses was not a man of ambition, he did not define himself as a great leader, instead quite the opposite. He pushed all his problems back on God. Every time the people would complain, Moses would look to God for help, instead of fixing it on his own. In fact, the people Moses lead were spared because of Moses’ relationship to God, even while the people would look to Moses on various occasions, Moses would immediately go to God, begging him for help because he didn’t know what to do. And as his story unfolds, you come to see that for Moses, it was never about reaching the promise land, about achieving greatness, it was about being with his Friend. He didn’t identify with his accomplishments nor his accolades but rather he identified with his God.
Exodus 33 (AMPC)
33 The Lord said to Moses, Depart, go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought from the land of Egypt, to the land which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, To your descendants I will give it.
2 I will send an [a]Angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanite, Amorite, Hittite, Perizzite, Hivite, and Jebusite.
3 Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, for you are a stiff-necked people, lest I destroy you on the way.
The people had complained too much, and God had enough. So He said I will give you the land, but I will not be with you when you take it. And for most people, they would have bowed their head and said thank you Lord. They received what they wanted, they will get the land, so they would tip toe away from God. But not Moses… For Moses it was not about the destination, it was about the journey. Look at his response later in the chapter.
And Moses said to the Lord, If Your Presence does not go with me, do not carry us up from here!
16 For by what shall it be known that I and Your people have found favor in Your sight? Is it not in Your going with us so that we are distinguished, I and Your people, from all the other people upon the face of the earth?
Moses’ destiny was not to lead the people into the promise land, Moses’ destiny was God. He didn’t care much to leave his life as a shepherd with his beautiful wife. But he did it for God. He didn’t want to stand before pharaoh, but he did it for God. He didn’t want the responsibility but he did it for God. It was never about God’s plan for him, it was about God himself, it was about obeying, loving, and being with Him. And we get so caught up in the finite details of our lives and our calling that we forget our first love. Take a chapter out of the most humble man alive, and just love God more than your destiny. For there is no higher calling then to be a child of God. Why did He make you in the first place? Spend time with Him not for any reason except that He’s your daddy. It’d be a shame to accomplish great things for God but never with Him. And look how God honored the heart of Moses.
17 And the Lord said to Moses, I will do this thing also that you have asked, for you have found favor, loving-kindness, and mercy in My sight and I know you personally and by name.
18 And Moses said, I beseech You, show me Your glory.
19 And God said, I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim My name, The Lord, before you; for I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy and loving-kindness on whom I will show mercy and loving-kindness.
20 But, He said, You can not see My face, for no man shall see Me and live.
21 And the Lord said, Behold, there is a place beside Me, and you shall stand upon the rock,
22 And while My glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by.
23 Then I will take away My hand and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen.
God let Moses see His back this side of heaven. The honor of that melts me to this day. Turn your attention on God, and His people, and the humility that Moses operated in will begin to take root in your heart.
Your friend,
Jake
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