Humility

In the Bible, the statement:

  • “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” is a well-known biblical concept that is found in James 4:6 and 1 Peter 5:5.

It highlights the contrast between pride and humility, suggesting that God opposes those who are arrogant and self-sufficient, while bestowing favor and blessings on those who acknowledge their need for God’s help.

This is key. We need to ask for God’s help to achieve the goals that we have set for ourselves. We really need to achieve our goals. Our self esteem depends on it.

In Matthew 5:5 Jesus said:

  • “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”

The Aramaic word for meek is “makikhah” (מכיכה) meaning humble, gentle. The Aramaic understanding would have emphasized this as meaning controlled strength and humble submission to God’s will, rather than weakness or passivity.

And Saint Augustine said:

  • The way to God is through humility.

And C.S. Lewis said:

  • Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.

So now, instead of thinking about ourselves we are thinking about our goals. No longer will we be double-minded, as the Old Testament said, we become single-minded. James 4:8 suggests that double-mindedness involves inconsistency between what is said and what is done, potentially indicating a hypocritical lifestyle. To accomplish this, we will need God’s strength and inspiration. For instance, if your goal is business related, you will need constant inspiration to think outside the box. Everyone knows how difficult business can be. If your goal is personal, let’s say weight loss, you will need constant strength.

Sometimes inspiration comes when we are at our lowest points; when the ego is gone and we are completely open. But inspiration never comes without our participation.

  • We are never passive participants.

As always, we need to make the first move.

For example:

  • There is a story about the American painter John Sargent that once painted a panel of roses which was highly praised by the critics. It was a small picture but it approached perfection and over the years he was offered on many occasions a high price for that, his greatest work. But he refused to sell it, kept it in his own studio. And on those days when he forgot how great he was, on those days when something in his life tried to capture his imagination negatively, on those days when the voice within him was not really excited about life, he would go and look at that picture and he would say, I painted that. That’s the most beautiful painting I’ve ever seen. That’s beautiful. If I painted that, then I can paint something that is the equivalent of what I have painted.

What John Sargent had done by refusing to stay negative and to lift himself up is to access his higher nature, I AM. I feel sure that every time he did this more divine inspiration was provided.

James 4:10 promises:

  • “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”

I take this to mean God will provide feedback (help) so we can keep moving up. We need to be able to recognize whatever feedback God provides. It has been my experience that while help is there, it’s usually not obvious at first.

This is where the spiritual principal of Serendipity comes into play. The concept of serendipity originated from the Persian fairy tale “The Three Princes of Serendip,” whose characters were known for making discoveries by accidents and sagacity of things they were not in quest of. In other words, looking for one thing but finding something else of equal or greater value, usually in a positive and unexpected way.

History is full of serendipitous discoveries by chance. The list is huge and includes things like penicillin, X-rays, and the microwave oven. We have to be open to the serendipity principal since (I think) it is the best feedback we can get from God; that we are on the right track but are missing greater opportunities.

Steven Tyler, lead singer for the rock band Aerosmith said:

  • Humility is really important because it keeps you fresh and new.

Being humble is proving to God that we are serious about obtaining our goals. And as such we will not let our goal limiting ego get in the way. Only I AM can experience God since it is of God. So, when the ego is in charge and you say, look at me how great I am, that is a sure sign that is the point where your progress will stop achieving for that particular goal because, in effect, you are saying I know all I need to know.

  • Being humble signals to God that we can handle more success.

Humility