Lessons in Humility

I have been receiving lessons in humility lately. I guess to be a "sanctuary"--pure and holy, tried and true--it stands to reason you'd have to be humble, too.

When we first found out we were having a baby girl, my reaction was soft, gushy, heart melting--followed immediately by the realization that I am so flawed and so young and so unwise and inexperienced--how in the world can I do this well?? A girl is going to have to overcome so many of the trials and hardships with which I was faced, and I didn't handle them all well!

I had to fight the fear. I started praying. I had to immerse myself in truth to shut out the (horribly loud) lies. I reached out to a mom I follow on social media (the one millennial activity I do well) and I asked for any tips she could give a first time mom. Her response, delivered with such tenderness and sincerity, was that God has hand chosen me to mother this little one here on earth. He seems to think I'm the best suited for this particular job. She blew my mind. Then my sister in law told me I love deeply and well, despite all my human flaws. Seriously? I wondered if they remembered who asked the question.

Anxious babies, starting college.

I remember my Freshman year at Furman I met several great upperclassmen who really made an impression on young, naive teenage Emily. I would say, or others would point out, how talented they were or how kind they were. More than once the response was "oh, that's so humbling. Thank you." Every time I thought, that's odd. Wouldn't a compliment like that puff you up as pride so often does? Isn't that why we mere mortals continue to comment on things like looks and performance? 

The dictionary defines humility as "a modest or low view of one's own importance." One definition of being humbled is to "decisively defeat (another team or competitor, typically one that was previously thought to be superior)." All of a sudden, in my questioning and searching for solid ground, it clicked. It does not matter how prepared I am, what existing skills or knowledge I have, or the job I can do on my own. It's not about how important I am. God thinks I'm perfect for His purposes here. He expects to do something pretty great through me, but nothing I could do on my own can ever be great aside from Him. The lies that were previously so loud and "superior" have been defeated and, in effect, humbled. I get it. 

God can bring good things from Nazareth. When the disciples first went to tell Nathanael they'd found Jesus, the Messiah, and that he was the son of Joseph, from Nazareth, do you know what he said? "Nazareth!" exclaimed Nathanael. "Can anything good come from Nazareth?" (John 1:46 NLT).

Evidently Nazareth was nothing to write home about. Certainly not a favorite vacation destination. So isn't it just like God to choose it as the birthplace of the Messiah? We believe Moses had a speech impediment. We all know how that turned out.

My devotional by Joyce Meyer recently pointed out that natural talent can often make us proud. Joseph (a natural born leader) spent thirteen years in prison for something he didn't do, which God used to humble him for His purposes. Peter, too, was a powerful man whom God had to humble before he could make a great leader. So perhaps it's a good thing my first thoughts were of my complete lack of natural talent and ability. Perhaps the last decade of my life was designed to humble me for this task. Who knows? My job now is to trust that God has uniquely equipped me and chosen me and will never forsake me in the midst of the journey ahead.

So, if you, too, have recently enjoyed a tough period of self doubt or questioned if you are capable of a task ahead, take heart! I'm right there with you. Probably, we all are. But the good news is that it doesn't depend solely on us. (Cue collective sigh of relief!)

Best,

Emily