With tender humility and quiet patience, always demonstrate gentleness and generous love toward one another, especially toward those who may try your patience. Ephesians 4:2 The Passion Translation
Humility in Action
“I am amazed at your Spanish! You speak it better than I do,” said the Hispanic woman I had just met.
“It’s a gift that was the result of growing up in Latin America. My parents were missionaries to Central America and I was able to develop parallel tracks in my brain for each language. I am grateful,” was my response.
This innate ability to speak two languages, translate them easily and switch back and forth has been my greatest lesson in true humility. It would not serve me to pretend that I don’t have this skill. Still, I did not work to acquire it. It’s just there and it is pretty amazing in action. (I just wish I could speak ten more languages this way.)
For most of us, humility has been modeled as the worm version of someone who apologizes for their gifts lest they boast and become proud. We can be so fearful of becoming proud that we minimize what we do well in order to be viewed as humble. In a nutshell, we become proud of how ‘worm-like’ we have become.
Therefore, I challenge you today to soar in the areas where God has gifted you while giving Him the glory.
Honor Keys
The challenge with the one who is truly humble is that he/she does not feel like what they do is that unusual or worthy of honor. It is innate in their character to want to stay out of the lime-light. For this reason you might need to encourage them to graciously accept the honor as their reward.
Laying your life down in tender surrender before the Lord will bring life, prosperity, and honor as your reward. Proverbs 22:4 TPT
Active Definition
Humility is recognizing your total inability to accomplish anything good apart from God’s grace while stepping up to the identity of how your Heavenly Father wants to honor His work in you. As a result, you step up to what God has called you to do with confidence and sincere humility so He can complete the work He has started.
Humility is recognizing your total inability to accomplish anything good apart from God's grace while stepping up to the identity of how your Heavenly Father wants to honor His work in you.Click To TweetSynonyms: free to be totally who you are, unpretentious, unassuming, polite, recognizing our strengths and limitations.
Creative Wording
I honor your tenderness and patience toward those who challenge you. I will never forget the time you _______________________ (specific incident). You may not even recognize humility is one of your greatest character traits because that would contradict it. Still, I am grateful for what you have taught me regarding being who God has called me to be. You are a shining example of His tender love, compassion and strength in tough times. I love how you serve others so willingly and appreciate all I have learned from you.
This is day 13 of a 31 day writing challenge. For more inspiration on honoring those you love, click here.
Author, speaker, corporate trainer, ordained minister and Hope Catalyst, Karen Sebastian enjoys sharing her rich life experiences with others – engaging them in adventurous discoveries of the beauty of hope in a dark, cloudy world. Her books will inspire you to embrace hope no matter what you are going through. To increase hope and improve relationships with yourself and those that you love, check out her Facebook page – The Power of Hope. Karen’s third book on hope – The Power of Hope for Caregivers: Honor the Ride will be released on 11.20.18.
Humility is a gift.