Humility

Humility is a form of love. Pride is a form of apathy.

A person who chooses humility chooses to see the other person (a friend, an enemy, an acquantance, a partner, a nobody, a somebody, etc) as Imago Dei - made in the image of God.

Humility requires treating that "other" - no matter what - with honor, dignity, love.

Humility is what keeps justice from becoming vengeance.

Even if someone has wronged you, responding with humility keeps you from becoming like the wrongdoer, and humility helps you respond with a restorative justice (called discipline) rather then resentful punishment (called revenge).

When confronted with a difficult person (difficult situations often include a difficulty with a person), humility is the way of Jesus - for as Proverbs and Peter say "love covers over a multitude of sins", but "pride comes before a fall."

If you are like me, humility is hard. Unless it is convenient. But then is it really humility? Love is the hard thing.

For me, I have to make two kinds of decisions in regard to humility. First, I have to decide, up front, that I am going to treat all people in my life with humility. Second, I have to choose, in the midst of each encounter with each person, to be humble. With Tara, with Emma, with Levi, with Isaac, with my folks and aunts and brothers and sisters and everyone else in my family, with my neighbors, with my Elders, with my staff, with my ministry volunteers, with my fellow worshippers, with my students, with my fellow pastors and neighborhood churches.

Sometimes the temptation is not to care about difficult people in my life. That is apathy. And that is a form of pride. And pride leads to my destruction. So, ironically, in my own self interest, I choose humility, love - which is other centered.

The way of Jesus is humility/love, not pride/apathy.

Who are you having a hard time being humble towards?

Seek wisdom/understanding and pray, pray, pray for strength to persevere in humility.