Hey guys, since everyone has been too busy to post anything (including myself), here is something brief to chew on.
A tentative definition of humility:
True humility is a constant acknowledgment of a higher and more infinitely valuable being that leads to a total re-orientation of one’s desires, thoughts, and actions.
This is in contrast to common notions such as humility being self mutilation in deed or in thought, the absence of thinking of oneself (potentially thinking of others first), or that humility is the lack of intelligence or a lack of various forms of talents and gifts.
In these notions all thoughts are still on us but in the former all thoughts are consumed in the magnitude of the almighty God.
4 comments:
Good definition...well stated.
Any additions/corrections/subtractions?
DJ,
I think the most important part of your definition is that it recognizes God as the standard by which we judge our lowness/highness.
When you list how this contrasts with false views (or inferior views) of humilty, you hint at humility based on other people. That's good; I think it needs to be first in the list. The most common false/inferior view of humilty is humility based on other people.
I've heard this, "I was really convicted about pride, I mean, there are lots of people who are more talented than I am in the world." Following that line of thought, is pride then warranted if you happen to be the most talented or best in the world? Does Bart Ehrman have a right to be proud because he is, in fact, the best textual critic in America? If we judge our lowness/highness based on other people, yes, pride is sometimes vidicated.
But if, as you said, we judge ourselves by God, we find that pride is never vindicated. It is always foolish and stupid.
Ways God makes us humble that people can't
1. He made us
2. He controls our lives
3. He has given us everything we have
4. He is the definition and source of everything we call good (including talent, success, beauty, etc.)
5. He gave us life and a future when we were paralyzed bodies falling at terminal velocity into hell.
I stop at 5. Those are all incredibly humbling truths that we cannot get from comparing ourselves to people.
So now the question is, how should comparing ourselves to God make us humble? What should we feel? What is true humility before God?
I would definitely agree about pride being in a sense "vindicated" if we compare ourselves to other people. We can always find somebody who is below us to make us look bigger in our minds.
I would say that we should "feel" the same thing when we look at the substance of God that we feel when we first step to the edge of the Grand Canyon. My first thought wasn't "Hey look at me, this makes me look so huge! I'm sweet!" I was awestruck by it's endless magnitude. I could do nothing but stare in silence and amazement. If we compare ourselves to other people we can always find someone we are holier than. But if we stare into the unclouded glory of Jesus Christ then we can only stand in wonder.
True humility before God would then be living constantly with his name and glory in mind. Always seeking his kingdom first.
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