True Humility
Finding Power and Joy In This Biblically Mandated Virtue
by
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Opening Old Scars
When humbling ourselves moves into the realm of self-repulsion or self-abuse, it is not humility but a twisted self-absorption. This is not selflessness but a demented self-centeredness. Humility is focused outwardly. Ripping ourselves apart, whether by being hyper-critical of ourselves or by doing ourselves physical harm, is merely a destructive focus inward. A healthy, Christian understanding of humility may begin with recognition of sinfulness and unworthiness but moves quickly to focus outwardly upon a loving God who forgives us and sends us to love and serve others. When we continually beg God for forgiveness for what has already been forgiven, we behave as if we are unsure of God’s ability to unconditionally love and completely forgive. We also take ourselves away from the front lines of service to pick at old scars until we have opened up the skin to enjoy the old pain and pity once more.
We like to hurt. Cuts and bruises get us noticed. It is easier to snuggle up in the arms of God like a two year old crying “hold me!”, than it is to stand as strong soldiers in the Kingdom of God to face the foe and rescue the perishing. Humility enables us to look around to see what God is doing and find the place He wants us to work. If instead, we are looking around to see why God isn’t consoling, comforting and caring for me, myself, and I, we aren’t being humble. We tend to love sores, not souls. We love pain, not purpose. We love God’s attention, not God. If we are wondering why God isn’t fulfilling His promise in 1 Peter 5:5-6, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time,” maybe it is because there is no humbling happening. We have fooled ourselves into thinking we are humble. We have not fooled God.
The Unawareness Factor
Humility is a difficult thing to claim. It requires an unawareness of it for it to exist. It is a little like having guardian angels who watch over us who do not intend to draw our attention to their presence, but only to draw attention to the One who sends them (Hebrews 1:14, 13:2). We are not meant to worship angels or pray to them. We are to serve God with some awareness that angels are part of God’s work to care for us.
Perhaps the unawareness factor is more like what happens when we worship. It is like when we are trying to be a true worshiper of God, “in spirit and truth,” (John 4:24). Vitally involved in a fervent flash of focused attention, emotion, praise and adoration, we pause in the midst of the experience to tell ourselves, “now I’m really worshiping!” That abrupt awareness of the me in the moment, acts like a belch during a ballad or banana peel at a ballet. When we are walking on stormy seas, the minute we become aware our feet are wet, we lose sight of the Savior and the miracle ends. It is this way with humility. Mindfulness of humility is no longer humility. We must be humble without picturing ourselves as humble. We must lose ourselves in humbleness and not look back to see if we are there.
No other virtue is quite like humility. For example, we can acknowledge our patient ways and lose none of our patience. We can manifest true love and know that we have loved without spoiling that love. We can be sympathetic and enjoy that truth about ourselves without lessening the degree of our sympathy. Not so with humility. Part of the work of humility is denying self the pleasure of rejoicing in any progress toward it. Maybe very few Christians aspire to know humility because it is something they can never accept a medal for, check-off on their daily planner, or even give God thanks for (e.g., “Thank you Lord for my great capacity at showing humility today in the midst of all those pompous, pride-filled, pew-fillers.”). Humility is something we choose to be because we know it is pleasing to God (Micah 6:8). We concentrate on being humble without wanting a grade for it. We walk humbly without a rear view mirror. We imitate the humility of Jesus without expecting Him to applaud us. We are humble, extremely humble. Ooops! There it went.
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About the Book
True Humility will lead readers to value and enjoy this virtue as one that will do far more to develop inner joy and strength than they ever expected. Christians are aware of God's insistence on humility but often view it as unappealing. Readers will find that it is not for the weak and feeble. The humble person chooses a path of lowliness, not listlessness, of meekness, not meaninglessness. The humble person is unpretentious, not unambitious; reverent, not irrelevant. Christians seeking to build moral character that pleases God and to awaken a fresh confidence in their service to Christ and His Church, may gravitate toward the subject and promise of this book.
About the Author
The author’s thirty-five years in full-time ministry have encompassed a wide range of experiences, including five years in youth ministry, eleven years as pastor, a short fifteen-month chaplaincy with a rescue mission, thirteen years as navy chaplain, and eight years as the associate pastor of a large church with multi-ministries. Norman has dabbled in writing most of his life but only became serious about it in 2003, when he felt compelled to write a book, Females in a Forbidden Zone, to address the position Southern Baptists took against allowing women to pastor. His first blog was www.thehumblelife.easyjournal.com. He later changed sites to www.humilityweakly.blogspot.com. This book resulted after eleven years of reading and writing on the meaning and application of humility. Norman currently writes a blog at www.normandrummond.com that he calls God’s Word Matters. Connie, Norman’s sweet wife, has been by his side for thirty-seven years. Their daughter, Rachel, is mother to their four granddaughters. She is a graduate of Georgia State University and a pastor's wife in Mississippi. Their son, Daniel, is a graduate of University of Georgia and founder/owner of HyperSpace Technologies, LLC in Athens, Georgia.