LEARNING HUMILITY, THE MOTHER OF ALL VIRTUES

 

 

In Learning Humility, Richard Foster quoted an anonymous author who seems to have a deep understanding of humility and its antithesis—pride:

 

·       “Self-knowledge is the only way to get and keep the virtue of humility…Don’t flinch in the face of the tremendous work involved. Get to know yourself. Yes, it is backbreaking labor. Embrace it. Through it, you’ll experience God as he is. I don’t mean you’ll know God completely…But when you get to know yourself better as the mortal human you are, your soul grows in humility, and you’ll know God as fully as possible on earth.”

 

Self-knowledge is key. Seeing ourselves as we truly are is deeply humbling. Why? We enjoy thinking well of ourselves and feel more comfortable with others when we do, even though pride eventually undermines our relationships.

 

Consequently, we do not go to the psychologist because we want to know ourselves better but because we want to feel better. Nor do psychologists advertise, “Come to me and learn the truth about yourself.”

 

However, when we accept ourselves as we truly are, we can be authentic, transparent, and non- coercive. Why? When we accept ourselves, we can also accept others. When we are enabled to see and understand ourselves, we can also understand others and their world. When we live behind our mask, we are unable to see ourselves or others, since we are the lens through which we see all else!

 

How then can we learn humility? According to Foster’s anonymous author, knowing the love of God is essential:

 

·       “The best way to grow in humility is not through reflecting on our weaknesses but by remembering God’s goodness and love. . . . ‘Perfect’ humility comes when you experience God’s goodness and superabundant love.”

 

I could not face or accept myself despite my five highly recommended psychologists. Instead, they simply reinforced my dysfunctional lies that I was a good person, even superior to others.

 

Only with Christ’s assurances that He loved me beyond anything I could comprehend (Ephesians 3:19-20), along with His painfully humbling me, could I begin to face the truth about myself:

 

·       Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. (1 Peter 5:6-7, 10)

 

Beware, humility grows as a newly planted fruit tree. It will only bear its fruit later, and it requires continual pruning.