I think each and every one of us have a desire to do something with our lives or have an impact on the lives of others. Especially when it comes to the ministry; we must be the leader God wants us to be if we are ever going to make a difference. Over the next few weeks I would like to give you several leadership characteristics that I think are vital to becoming the leader that God wants us to be. The first one I would like to talk about is “Humility”.
I. What is It?
I believe that pride and humility are direct opposites and work opposing each other on a constant basis. Almost like a sliding scale where you increase humility and reduce pride. In other words, I don’t believe that you can have both at the same time. A prideful person is not going to show much humility, and if he attempts to, it will be fake and short lived. Sometimes, pride is difficult to identify and can be hidden behind the pretense of being a bold person or a person that is strong willed. Also, humility can be illusive and many have no idea what it is or how to be humble without being proud. So, I would like to give you a definition of each to be able to identify both the enemy and goal that we are seeking.
Pride
Pride is when someone is focused on self. It is when someone thinks that they are the source of what is good and right and worthy of praise. They think that everything revolves around them and is for them. I once read a quote that says “Pride seeks to ungod God”. There is also the flip side which is self-pity. Self-pity is nothing more than and overemphasis on self and wanting others to notice us and feel pity for us.
Humility
Humble people are focused on God and others, not on self. They have no need to be recognized or approved but instead focus on elevating God and serving others. They basically understand that they deserve nothing and are thankful for everything.
So, to help you recognize both pride and humility in your everyday life, here are some examples of both taken from a booklet, “From Pride to Humility” by Stuart Scott
Manifestations of Pride
– A lack of gratitude in general.
– Anger
– Seeing yourself as better than others.
– Perfectionism
– Talking too much.
– Trying to control everything.
– Jealousy
Manifestations of Humility
– Being thankful to God and others.
– Being gentle and patient
– Seeing others as better than yourself.
– Being submissive and teachable.
– Serving others.
– Quickly admitting when you are wrong.
– Being quick to grant and ask for forgiveness.
II. How to Have It?
So now understanding what humility and pride are, how can we be humble instead of prideful?
You are not made that way!
First of all I would like to say that I don’t believe that pride and humility are things that are just part of us, and we can’t do anything about. Some might say, “I am just a prideful person, that is the way I am”. Some might even say that they can’t be humble, because if they do, they will then be prideful for trying to be humble. While I understand the idea, I believe that both pride and humility are spiritual in nature and something that is learned by each of us. While the natural man is inclined to being prideful, it doesn’t mean that there is no other option because as Christians we have a new nature and can be what God asks us to be. If He commands us to be humble, then I believe that we can accomplish it with His help.
It’s your decision!
Like many other spiritual aspects, humility is a decision that we make with God’s help. Take love for example; when the Bible commands us to love it is not speaking of a feeling, but a decision that we make followed by action. I decide to love my wife and show it; and I also decide to put pride to death and practice humility. So, when someone says they can’t be humble, they must realize that it is simply making a decision to act contrary to what we feel and normally do.
III. How to Practice It?
The question now comes, “How does this play out in my every day life?” “How can I become a person that practices humility?” Here are a few keys:
– Just like with any other sin problem you must start by seeking God’s help and strength, because you can’t do it on your own.
– Ask others if you come across as prideful in any way.
– Then you must decide to put off the old and put on the new each and every day.
This means that when faced with the desire to show pride in one way or another, you have to consciously decide to respond with humility. As you learn to respond with humility to every day situations and problems, it will begin to become a habit and even part of us as we humble ourselves before God. Only when we humble ourselves before God, and seek to practice humility in our lives, can God truly use us to be the leaders that should be.