Humility

This week our study has been about Humility.

I have never really seen myself as a prideful person but as I have studied this week,

God has helped me see there are several faces of pride.

Take a look with me maybe you will see yourself here.

The writer of this book suggests several areas of pride:

1. Exalting myself, "It's all about me"

This person thinks too highly of herself and she used as and example

William Hung from American Idol.

Even after Simon said something derogatory about his performance

he still wanted to make music his living.

She also suggested you see this person ....

...constantly showing off the accomplishments of their children.

...exaggerating to get a reaction

...serving to be noticed.

...maneuvering for a preferred position in their extended family, community, or workplace.

2.Belittling Myself: "Woe is Me"

This is the person that is doing, doing,doing and then asking "That wasn't very good was it".

I think about the girl at school that is always asking do you think I'm fat?Over and over again.She is too focused on herself to the point of pride.

3. Attacking others: You're not as good as me"

this is the person who constantly devalues others and is tearing them down.

4. Ignoring input from others "You're not the boss of me"

This shows up in not being teachable, remaining stuck in bad patterns,

never admitting fault.

We can never be perfect I know but a right attitude about God helps

us put things into perspective.

For example Psalm 103:1-22. In this chapter who is God? He is our redeemer, forgiver, healer, saviour, surrounds me with love, is tender, merciful, slow to anger, abounding in love, compassionate. Who am I in relation to Him? I am renewed , forgiven, satisfied, saved, loved and His child. How can this understanding help me become humble? To sum it up, In myself I don't have the power, self worth or goodness to do all these, He gives these things to us.

He does, not me.

The big take away this week was that I can never be perfect enough. God is in control, not me. As a child, I never felt good enough and vowed that I would be one day. I feel like I have spent my whole life trying to prove that I am something.I don't need to prove anything to anybody but be the person that God wants me to be. I need to have a right view of Him, then I won't struggle so much feeling that it's all about me. See there, that's pride.

There is nothing wrong with Pride, a healthy pride that gives God the proper glory. It shouldn't just be look at me or look at my kids, husband or church but look what God has done in and through us. We forget that.

She suggests that it takes humility to...

...truly worship God.

...have a healthy self-esteem.

...to be truly honest.

...to obey.

...to be teachable.

...to serve.

...to wait on God.

and a truly humble person is a broken person.

At the point we feel most useless,

that's when God can choose to transform us into the highest usefulness.

In John 3:30, It says "He must increase, but I must decrease"

That is the formula.

Focusing on Him, spending more time with Him, learning about Him, talking with Him and setting your sights firmly on Him. This takes work, obedience, time, practice and devotion but I think we can all achieve this

day by day.