Humility Plus

This morning I read ‘In humility consider others better than yourselves.’

With ‘humility’ I’m unpretentious, modest, submissive. ‘Humility’s derived from the Latin. ‘Humilitas’ means ‘lowness’. ‘Humus’ meaning ‘earth’.

With humility alone I become a doormat that others walk over. I need ‘Humility Plus…’

…Plus Passion: I need humility as a Norwich City supporter. We’ve lost eight of our last eleven league games; the players look dejected; the manager will probably be sacked; we’re down to seventeenth in the league.

But I can still be a passionate supporter, longing to see our fortunes change, beating our arch-rivals Ipswich, climbing up the league…

…Plus Strength: I needed humility as a headteacher. Each staff member had a talent that I didn’t have… teaching French, addressing children’s ‘special needs’, managing school finances, developing creativity, inspiring sports teams, clearing drains…

But I needed strength to pull together and hold together a disparate wonderful group of talented individuals.

…Plus Compassion: I need humility as a friend. Many friends have problems that I can’t solve. Bereavement, sickness, broken family relationships, work problems – all out of my control.

But I can be reliable, provide a listening ear, an empathetic understanding, a compassionate heart.

…Plus Pride: I need humility in my family. I might kid myself into thinking that I have the blessing of a good family because of me. The truth is that it’s despite me.

But I can take pride, reflecting on my family, the people they are, what they’ve achieved, the potential they possess. A friend yesterday said, ‘Please pray for my wife. She has to put up with me.’ Humility plus pride.

…Plus Shining: I need humility to avoid complaining, grumbling criticising, finding fault. Everybody does it, often with justification, but it’s so destructive, and hurtful.

Later in the chapter from the ‘In humility…’ quote, Paul says, ‘Do everything without complaining and arguing… become blameless and pure… shine like stars…’ Our friend Abi, preaching on these verses, said we have the choice: ‘Whine or Shine.’ Humility plus shining.