There is an authenticity to those who walk in the way of Christ. They tend to be quite lovely, for they have a healthy dose of reality of not only their successes in life, but especially the areas where grace and forgiveness tend to reside. We can often fake our way through the crowd, and show the gleaming and good side of the self, while hiding the fullness of self. We are masters at this art of wearing masks and presenting the self that we want others to see! Yet, there is one characteristic that you can’t fake—humility. Think about that!
In a culture that loves statistics and bragging rights, where does the way of humility fit? I would imagine you can think of a person or two who seemingly ignored our cultural norm of self-importance and self-promotion and took a stance, or posture, of being humble. These people have learned the gift of freedom of soul, as they learn to live within their skin, and the fullness of who they are—both the shiny goodness and the hidden darkness.
CS Lewis once shared his perspective of humility. He stated, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.” Humility isn’t a beat down of one’s self or a low self-esteem. Instead, it takes a strong self-esteem to not spend so much time talking, and thinking, about one’s self! Humility has a way of allowing us to soar, by allowing the ego to be in check and not relying on the accolades of others.
In Proverbs 29:23, the writer states, “Pride lays people low, but those of humble spirit gain honor.” Why? When we walk with humility, we allow the glow of Christ’s presence to shine and inspire the people around us. May you buck the cultural norm of ‘me-ism’ and begin to live in that holy place, of walking with God and letting go of the masks that we hid behind.