Ray is PCC’s Senior Pastor.

Friends,

Humility and How I Achieved It is the title of a book I’m thinking about writing. Ok, just kidding. The weird thing about humility is that as soon as you suggest you have it, you’ve lost it. Anyway, as you know, yesterday I shared some Scripture texts I had come across in my study related to humility. In response, someone wrote back these thoughtful words I felt were worth passing on.

Ray

The subject of humility has been somewhat of a frustration. How do you grow in that – internally and then live it. Really, if God values humility so highly, surely in his grace we’d have some indicators (practical ways) to gauge both inward and outward responses.

Growing up in the church, what teaching there was, seemed to deal more with servanthood actions or simply defining humbleness as not being arrogant or haughty. While there is definitely truth in that, this central quality of knowing God wasn’t further unpacked in a way I could use pro-actively as a litmus test for spiritual growth.

But then while reading through one of Dallas Willard’s books, Hearing God, there was one paragraph that has been so helpful to me. I think about these often (much help needed here) and the Lord has used these 3 or 4 sentences to convict, clarify and redirect both my inward inclinations and outward expression.

So here’s my paraphrase:

Willard asks the question, How do we move deeper into the grace of humility? He then gives three concepts to wrap our hearts and minds around so we can assess where we are or where we’re headed so that we can begin or continue to practice and exercise humility:

1. Presumption – are we presuming entitlement or special care. Are we being demanding?

2. Pushing our will onto others –are we trying to force our opinions and wishes onto others? Are attempting to over ride or dismiss others perspective to promote ourselves

3. Pretending–are we pretending to be more or less than who we are? There is a wonderful honesty and transparency about humility, being able to look both at our strengths and weaknesses, to understand both.

I love his phrase – growing deeper into the grace of humility. It is by God’s grace and our attentiveness to him that he can renovate those areas where we are not walking further into his humility and grace.