A slice of Humble Pie

For whatever reason, the idea of humility has been bouncing around me for the last couple months.  Whether it’s just the current fad, or God’s trying to teach me something, well, I guess I need to ask Him.
Growing up, I was given the idea that humility meant thinking more of others than yourself.  That it meant taking care of others at the expense of you – your time, your money, your abilities, everything.
But, if we say the best example in the Bible of a humble person is Christ…than that’s not really true.  I mean, sure, He eventually did give up His life for the good of the world, but that’s because that was His job, His calling, His purpose.    But that’s not really how He lived His life.  Throughout the Gospels  we often find Jesus sleeping, or taking time out with just Him and God – even if there are people around wanting to learn from Him.  He took time to refresh.
He knew His human limits.  He knew what He could do, and did it when it was appropriate.  And He knew what He couldn’t do (think temptation after 40 days, or His quiet times with God).  And in all things, He depended on His Father (God the Father) for strength, and on the Holy Spirit for insight.  Jesus couldn’t do it all by Himself, and He acted in that knowledge.
Nor did He think He had to stay around to watch His church grow.  Nope.  He knew that wasn’t His job, and He empowered the men whose jobs it was – His disciples.
So, basically, humility is being aware of who you are – of your strengths and your weaknesses, and admitting to them and using them to the glory of God.   But even more than that, it means owning your dependence on God, and listening to Him.  Being aware of which jobs you’d be the best for, and which ones you should NOT accept because you can’t do them…or because they tempt you too badly.  Being aware of your body, and allowing it to be healthy (you know, feed it right, exercise, and REST it – physically, mentally and spiritually).  Humility means you are aware of the needs of the world around you, and your own, and you meet those needs as God leads.
I would end this by saying, “Know thyself”…but I think that’s not really possible without Christ revealing to you who exactly you are.  You can try it on your own, but I don’t think it’s going to turn out as well as it would with Christ.  So, let Him show you who you are.  Ask Him to show you your strengths and your weaknesses.  Ask Him to give you opportunities to grow you, and experiences that remind you of your complete and utter dependence on Him.