“You Cant argue with a humble man”
I don’t remember where I first heard that quote but I have held onto it because it is so true. As a man who claims publicly that he follows Jesus, I have a lot of responsibilities, whether I want them or not. If I choose to walk into those expectations, there are nothing but benefits, but if I choose to walk away from those expectations, then the more bitter I may become. This may sound a bit harsh but humor me for a second.
My relationship with Jesus is similar to a relationship with another person; actually scripture describes a relationship with Jesus as a marriage. In a marriage, you have to put forth effort; every day isn’t peachy and easy. When you are in a relationship, you have to care for that relationship, that person and take care of it.
Scripture calls us as Christ followers to be humble, so whether we step into humility or not is up to us. And often when you ask Jesus to help you become more humble, he ends up giving you more, and, more, and more opportunities to be humble.
There are two questions that I ask myself when it comes to the worth of being a humble man. Is being passive the same thing as being humble? And is being right all of the time worth it?
I think there is fine line between being passivity and humility. Passivity is when you shield yourself from what’s going around you and pretending it isn’t happening, or some may even called it being a coward. Passivity is watching opportunities, and events go on around you and doing nothing at all with the situation that you are put in.
Humility can easily be confused with Passivity. Humility is an extremely intentional action that requires work and sacrifice. Humility is putting others before yourselves, serving those around you, and allowing others to benefit from your actions, words, and deeds. I heard another quote from another unknown person.
“Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less”
How true those words are.
The 2nd question is being right all of the time worth it? The right answer is no, but that’s hard to live out, especially when you know that you are actually right in a certain situation. The fact of the matter is that debates and arguments about who is right or wrong hardly ever convince the other person of your point of view. Even if you do prove yourself right, it often makes the other person bitter or angry that you proved them wrong… well done…
Often when I find that I disagree with someone I need to remind myself of what really matters, and that’s the relationship with that person. I quietly pray in that moment that God will reveal the truth to both of us, and he usually does.
Now Humility doesn’t mean to sit on the sidelines, it means quite the opposite. It means that we need to go under those around us and serve them by lifting them up. It means being willing to do the small, and dirty jobs. I would love to the CEO sweeping the floors and changing the bags in the trashcans.
Last thoughts
Humility means asking for help when you need it. It means knowing when you need the people around you and not being ashamed of asking for something, which I may have to do in the next couple of weeks. The opposite of humility is pride, and it can be argued that pride is the root of all sin, so what does that make humility the root of?
Is being right worth losing relationships?
