Humble
yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. (James 2:10)
Humble myself?
What in the world does that mean?
I find myself being humbled all the time—good intentions gone
awry, a snarky comment I regret the moment it leaves my lips, my children spilling
some juicy piece of our life story to total strangers. There seems no end to
the situations God provides for me to learn humility. Why do I need to go to
the trouble of doing it for myself?
But that verse tugged me by the heart a few years ago and
whispered for me to pay attention, there was something deeper to be learned.
It’s one thing to accept those little (or not so little) humbling
moments as they come, something else entirely to maintain an attitude of
humility before the Lord. Easy, too, to speak of maintaining that attitude,
then refusing to consciously take the path of humility when more subtle opportunities present
themselves for it ...
... like, when I’m taken to task for something I don’t necessarily
think was my fault. Humble myself.
Or when a stray comment by a friend hits a tender area inside me,
and I’m struggling to not be offended. Humble
myself.
When someone else reaps a blessing that I’ve prayed, waited, and/or
worked for ... humble myself.
When I come across a lesson I’m sure I’ve learned a hundred times
before ... humble myself.
It all boils down to choice. Choosing to overlook an offense.
Choosing to consider that I just might have something God wants to correct in
me, even if I don’t see it, because He’s the only righteous Judge. Choosing to
... humble myself.
Only God knows the whole picture of why blessings are bestowed
here, and seemingly withheld there. (He IS God, after all!) And only He knows
the ultimate purpose of whatever lesson or process or experience is laid in my
path.
He is God, and I am not.
But in that is reassurance. Who better to leave the management of
the universe to—or of my own small life? And if I choose to humble myself,
whatever that may look like, then He promises when the time is right, He will
lift me up.
That they
may know from the rising of the sun to its setting
That there
is none besides Me.
I am the
LORD, and there is no other.. (Isaiah 45:6)
Then you
shall know that I am in the midst of Israel:
I am the
Lord your God
And there
is no other.
My people
shall never be put to shame. (Joel 2:27)
But You, O
Lord, are a shield for me,
My glory
and the One who lifts up my head. (Psalm 3:3, all NKJV)
Another beautiful devotional, Shannon! Humility is something I really need to keep re-learning over and over... Struggling with trusting God, His eternal perspective and His perfect plan and timing. I wrote a poem my first year of college about the cyclical nature of humility, and it's where the title of my personal blog came from. :)
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Thanks for sharing your heart - your struggles and the lessons you've learned - with us!
~Amber
Thank you so much, Amber! And beautiful poem! It's a constant struggle for me, as well ... probably a constant for any believer of any stage, the one thing we'll never completely "beat" until we get Home.
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