pride and humility

Jesus, Jesus, forget the pride which provoked you; see only the beggar that invokes you.

Pride has many synonyms: arrogance, self-centeredness, over-confidence, audacity. The Greeks called it hubris and it was considered chief among sins against the gods.

We practice humility towards God when we acknowledge that apart from him we can do nothing. This should not be news to us. We have nothing unless he gives it to us; we are nothing unless he forms it in us. Truly, we are empty-handed beggars.

Jesus would also have us practice humility towards others. This is called social humility. When we practice social humility, we make a pathway for grace-based relationship, freedom and true peace. Social humility is self-forgetfulness. It is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking less about yourself. So, self-forgetfulness coincides with others-mindfulness. A friend of mine once said, “You’ve got too much of yourself on your hands.” In such a state, there is no room for God to give us anything from his goodness, for our hands are already full of ourselves.

We don’t know that we don’t know. That is our problem. Cry mercy over this dilemma.

Know that you are limited, finite. No human (no matter how greatly they are esteemed by their fellow humans) has any cause to act as if they know it all. We are all beggars, whether we are a queen or a kid. Be open to God’s movement in your heart and to the God-inspired influences of others. Too often we rush to defend ourselves while questioning perceived attacks. Sometimes we do well to question our own motives while giving others the benefit of the doubt.


Abide in me...Apart from me you can do nothing. -John 15:4-5

Show true humility toward all people. -Titus 3:2