Humility at the Heart of it All
- Blog by Angela Voorhees
Every biblical characteristic we are taught to exemplify has an opposite. If we have not developed one through Christian growth and obedience, it is very likely we are still possessing the other or have reverted back to it. In our present culture, it seems it is a norm to have our fists up in prideful defiance defending wrong actions, behaviors, and attitudes even questioning the God that created us while thinking ourselves wiser in knowing what is truly right and wrong. ( Isaiah 5:20) Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil… Pride exalts itself against God, resents correction yet relentlessly corrects needless things in others, brags, and takes no thought of others; but Christians are told to have humility. Some think of humility as embarrassment, groveling, weakness, and constantly beating up on yourself in an unhealthy way. But, biblical humility is keeping a humble view of yourself and realizing you need and depend on God for everything. Everything good about you is because of Him and you are at your best when you are submitting to His plan. A humble person realizes they are fearfully and wonderfully made. You are unique and special to God, but everyone else is too. A humble person can admit when they are wrong and is willing to serve and encourage others. Three needed areas we can focus on are having humility in our relationship with God, in our family and other relationships, and in our churches.
Humility in your walk and relationship with God
As a wife, mom, church worker, and in my role in our family ministry, I want God to be proud of me. If I want to be great at any of these things I need to have a humble heart toward God. Sometimes humility with God means being willing to assess your life and if God would brag on it. Recently, a verse in Genesis 18 has been stuck in my mind since I read over it a few weeks ago.
(Genesis 18:19) For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.
In Genesis 18:17-19 God is bragging on the trust he has to share his plans with Abraham and bless him because He knew Abraham’s character, how devoted to God he was, and what Abraham would do with those blessings. Since then, I have spent a lot of time asking myself if God said,” I know her…..,” would good things follow? What would God say He knows about you? Are we willing to be humble enough to assess and correct anything that would displease Him?
Humility in your family and relationships
(Proverbs 18:12) Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honour is humility.
Pride destroys relationships and keeps us from God’s blessings. Humbleness in your relationships means being able to admit when you are wrong. We live in a harsh, angry world. As Christian women, we should be a source of comfort and gentleness to our children, husbands, and friends. Say good morning, before giving a list of chores that need to be done. Learn to laugh at yourself rather than get angry when you make mistakes. Teach your children to be humble and helpful in their relationships with each other and to respect adults and authorities. As our children grew up playing instruments, we made sure to teach them that their talent did not give them authority. When our oldest daughter, Adrian, reached the point of being able to accompany for church and ministries, she sometimes would have more musical knowledge than the adults that she was working with. She chose to be a humble help. She never asserted herself over them and did not force her help or opinion, though she was happy to help if it was asked for. God blessed her with many great opportunities at a young age; I believe that is because she chose humility.
Humility in your church
(1 Peter 3:8) Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous
I love my church. I hope you love yours too. Nothing tears down a church like pride. When church members are operating with humility, love will be at the heart of how we respond to preaching, how we think of and treat our pastor and other church members, and how the church functions. When my husband and I were young Christians, he became very sick for a long period of time with Ulcerative Colitis. Without our church family, I don’t know how we would have gotten through it. They couldn’t solve everything, but wherever they could help, they did it without us even asking. They sat with me during his surgeries and baked cookies with my little ones so I could visit him in the hospital. They brought groceries to our house when he was unable to go to work, and cooked meals when he would come home from the hospital. When our car was broken, they drove us to specialists. There was never a reminder of the kindness shown to us during that time, and our family never forgot it. In this same church, I learned from women that invested in me how to love my pastor and his wife, how to serve, how to have a godly marriage, and the importance of raising my children in church. We grew as Christians and the Lord later called our family into ministry. I have found that this type of humility and love is not found everywhere. You can affect your church for good or bad by having or lacking humility. Let’s choose to have a humble heart in our church.
(James 4:6) But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
We can make a difference in a harsh and prideful world when we allow God to help us to keep humility in our relationships with Him, with our families and friends, and in our churches. Our Lord, Jesus, was perfect, yet He allowed Himself to be humbled on the cross and died for our sin. He knew all things but taught us patiently to bring us to Him. He was the son of God; but served, healed, and fed his followers. He was royalty, but given a humble birth and obeyed His earthly parents. Jesus gave the ultimate example of a humble heart. May we follow that example and make our Heavenly Father proud.
