By: Lyndsay Crews
I have what people call the gift of gab. Shocker. And I love to compliment people. A while ago I noticed that in order to lift people up, I often put myself down. For example, “I love your curly hair. I wish my hair would curl just a tiny bit. My hair just lays limp.” See what I did there? Instead of complimenting my friend, I talked more about myself (even if it was in a negative way). I thought I was practicing humility, but actually I was self deprecating. It’s not humble to put yourself down because you’re still focused on yourself instead of focusing solely on the other person.
Humble people place others ahead of themselves regardless of title, position, pay, gender, etc. Let’s take a quick self-assessment (ironic, right?): In conversations, do you interrupt someone else to get your point across or talk about yourself (negative or positive) more than the other person? Or, do you spend the beginning, middle, and end of your conversations with others focused on them and how you can improve their day? Actively living in humility is counter-cultural and counter-intuitive, but God values a humble heart.
“Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.” – Philippians 2:3
Humility is a huge struggle for me because it isn’t possible to “get ahead.” No matter how well I do one day, I have to start over and be just as humble the next day because it’s supposed to be a way of life. Pray with me that the Lord would teach us to be humble so that we can love other people better.