HUMILITY
Our priest this Sunday gave us a sermon on humility. Here are his thoughts combined with my thoughts.
In today’s world when we are complimented we are taught the humble response is to make light of the compliment. When someone tells you your singing voice is beautiful, you respond by saying everybody can sing. No big deal. When you are told you pitched a fabulous game….you have quite the arm, you respond with saying you could do it with your arms tied behind your back. It is nothing. Someone compliments you on your artistic ability…you really paint or draw well, you respond by saying you enjoy doodling.
The fact of the matter is that God gives each and every one of us talents or a gifts. He gives some of us the extraordinary singing voices. He gives some of us athlete abilities, others artistic abilities that have lived on for centuries. God has given men and women the talents, gifts and ability to become famous writers, mathematicians, scholars, doctors, and inventors. He bestows on some of us the ability to work with children or the elderly or the sick or the poor. A different talent or gift for each of us but again each of us has one.
You can be humble and be thankful at the same time. It is okay to say thank you when complimented on your gift or talent. Humility doesn’t mean you don’t need to acknowledge that God gave you your gift or talent. When we get in trouble and fall away from humility is when we start thinking that we know everything…that we are talented in all areas…that we don’t discern our gifts or talents from God’s eyes but from our eyes. When we think that we are the best and know all things and can do all things and take credit for all things. That is when humility goes right out the door. We as a family, we as a church, we as Christians work best when we each use our talents and abilities that we have and stop there. God will use the best of each of us and together we are perfect. And that is humility, using just that that God gives us so that we are what God wants us to be, so that we depend on him not on ourselves, so that all of us become one for Him!
"For by the grace given me I say to every one of you; Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought , but rather think of yourself with sober judgement, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you." Romans 12:3
In today’s world when we are complimented we are taught the humble response is to make light of the compliment. When someone tells you your singing voice is beautiful, you respond by saying everybody can sing. No big deal. When you are told you pitched a fabulous game….you have quite the arm, you respond with saying you could do it with your arms tied behind your back. It is nothing. Someone compliments you on your artistic ability…you really paint or draw well, you respond by saying you enjoy doodling.
The fact of the matter is that God gives each and every one of us talents or a gifts. He gives some of us the extraordinary singing voices. He gives some of us athlete abilities, others artistic abilities that have lived on for centuries. God has given men and women the talents, gifts and ability to become famous writers, mathematicians, scholars, doctors, and inventors. He bestows on some of us the ability to work with children or the elderly or the sick or the poor. A different talent or gift for each of us but again each of us has one.
You can be humble and be thankful at the same time. It is okay to say thank you when complimented on your gift or talent. Humility doesn’t mean you don’t need to acknowledge that God gave you your gift or talent. When we get in trouble and fall away from humility is when we start thinking that we know everything…that we are talented in all areas…that we don’t discern our gifts or talents from God’s eyes but from our eyes. When we think that we are the best and know all things and can do all things and take credit for all things. That is when humility goes right out the door. We as a family, we as a church, we as Christians work best when we each use our talents and abilities that we have and stop there. God will use the best of each of us and together we are perfect. And that is humility, using just that that God gives us so that we are what God wants us to be, so that we depend on him not on ourselves, so that all of us become one for Him!
"For by the grace given me I say to every one of you; Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought , but rather think of yourself with sober judgement, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you." Romans 12:3
One of the gifts God gave you, that I am so blessed that you share, is the gift of writing(blogging). You are a very inspirational person and reading your posts lifts me up. So, thank you!
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