Abraham Lincoln defeated Stephen Douglas for the presidency. The two were at the Capitol for Lincoln’s inauguration. Lincoln was holding the manuscript of his speech, his cane and tall silk hat. As he was introduced, he was looking for a place to put his hat. Stephen Douglas stepped forward and took the hat and returned to his seat. “If I can’t be President, he said to a cousin of Mrs. Lincoln, ‘I can at least hold his hat.”
Humility is admired but seldom exhibited in our society. We think that the humble are those who lose in the game of life. They are likable but not very successful.
However, God has a different perspective. If we will humble ourself, He will lift us up.
“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,” 1 Peter 5:6
What does it mean to be humble?
I did a quick search and found some great ideas to help us understand what humility is:
- Humility is a low view of one’s own importance.
- Humility is not thinking less of yourself. It is thinking of yourself less.
- Humility is staying teachable, regardless of how much you already know.
- Humility is concerned with what is right. Pride is concerned with who is right.
- Humility is the solid foundation of all virtues.
- Humility is being able to accept criticism as graciously as we accept compliments.
We are encouraged to ‘humble ourselves’. Humility is an act that we are to do. We have a choice. We are in control of the level of humility we maintain.
How do you humble yourself?
- Humble yourself with your voice – Admit your need, weakness, sin, inadequacy.
- Humble yourself with your body – Kneel, pray, serve, fast, accept a lowly place.
- Humble yourself by not doing anything – when wronged, when corrected, stop fighting God.
Humility is the basic Christian virtue. It is the first of the beatitudes. ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit.’ Humility is an emptying, and the rest of the Christian life is a filling.
In the list of the fruit of the spirit, humility is not mentioned. Why? Because the Holy Spirit cannot produce humility in us. We must humble ourselves. Then the Holy Spirit can produce in us love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance (self-control).
Where do you humble yourself – God’s Mighty Hand
We are to be humble before others, but the initial and primary place we are to be humble is before God. We cannot truly be humble before others, before we are humble before God.
The hand of God is the place of humility. What is it about the hand of God that produces humility?
- God’s hand disciplines. When punished for wrongs, humble yourself and repent.
- God’s hand gives gifts. When counting your blessings, humble yourself and give thanks.
- God’s hand comforts. When hurting, humble yourself and receive joy.
- God’s hand helps. When you are in need, humble yourself to receive from God.
- God’s hand (Jesus) has nail prints. When you realize Jesus died on the cross for you, humble yourself and believe and receive Him as Lord and Savior.
What is the result of humility? Honor
When you are humble before God, He will lift you up. He will give honor. But an important part of this passage is that He will do it ‘in due time.’ It will come, but honor will come when….
- God is good and ready and not before.
- God He wants to.
- If it lines up with His will.
- If it is for our good.
- If we are humble.
God honors those who are humble before Him in the manner and time in which He sees fit. For those who are truly humble, the timing is of little concern. I can’t explain it better than that. If we complain about God’s timing, or the things that are going wrong, it is evidence that we are not truly humble. Humility is accepting God’s will and God’s timing, knowing that we deserve worse. Humility is being happy that in spite of who we are and what we have done, God still loves us.
Take a ‘Granny’ Shot
After his 15 year career in pro basketball, Rick Barry had hit a remarkable 89.9% of his shots from the free throw line. But Barry also had one of the weirdest free throw shots—an underhand shot known as the “granny style” shot.
The stats don’t lie—Barry’s style seems to work better than the more familiar (and cooler looking) traditional free throw shot. As Barry said, “From the physics standpoint, it’s a much better way to shoot. Less things that can go wrong, less things that you have to worry about repeating properly in order for it to be successful.” In 2008, when Discover magazine asked a physics professor who agreed: the 45-degree arc angle and the natural backspin both increase the odds of the ball going into the net, relative to the more common method.
Wilt Chamberlain, a former NBA great who holds the record for the most points scored in one game (100), once tried it out. Over his career, Chamberlain made a pathetic 54% of his free throws. But on March 2, 1962, when he scored his 100 points, Chamberlain used the granny style approach and hit 28 of his 32 free throws.
So chances are, for many players shooting underhand is a much better strategy. So, why don’t more players use this free throw style? (And why did Chamberlain give it up?) Rick Barry proposes a simple answer: because players are too embarrassed or too proud—or both. It looks silly, and most players would rather miss shots than look like a “granny” and score more points.
Humility is not a ‘cool’ way to live. It’s not always popular. It can be rather humiliating (similar word). But if you want God to lift you up, humble yourself. Humility is the guaranteed path to greatness.
You can read my other articles about humility: How to be Humble without being Proud of it, How to be a great person, 4 Ways to Respond to Injustice.