Scripture
“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”
PHILIPPIANS 2:3-4
Quotes/Color
“Excellence that feels it has to be proclaimed, by the mere fact of its proclamation admits the doubt of its existence.”
CleoMae Dungy
“Whether focusing on our accomplishments or our inadequacies, most of us spend far too much time thinking about ourselves, and the first task of humility is to think about someone else.”
Dr. Scott Moore
“How much larger your life would be if yourself could become smaller in it.”
G.K. Chesterton
Context
If you’re a narcissist and only think of your own accomplishments and desires, yes of course, that is going to inhibit you from growing in Christ-like humility. Obviously. But… Have you considered that constantly dwelling on your inadequacies is also inhibiting humility?
Dwelling on your own inadequacies is only thinking of yourself too…
Everyone thinks the non-humble person is only thinking about how awesome they are. They talk a lot. They stick their chest out and their nose up. They have a big ego and are confident to the point of brashness…This may be the case for some people. But not all.
I think just as often, if not more often, the thing that is inhibiting us from growing in humility is the opposite… dwelling on our inadequacies. Constantly thinking about what others think of us. How we were and are perceived. Thinking about parts of us that don’t fit in or that we don’t feel are appreciated or seen by others. Those are thoughts that hamstring you and disallow you from growing in humility under God too.
Whether you’re constantly dwelling on how awesome you are and can’t stop looking at yourself in the mirror… or you’re constantly dwelling on how inadequate you are and you can’t stand looking at yourself in the mirror… Either way you’re only thinking of… yourself. And if you’re only thinking of yourself, you cannot “count others more significant than yourself.”
The “self” is too big to do so.
Application
Think Less of Yourself
Whether you are Gaston and can’t get over how awesome you are or Eeyore and always down on yourself… The first step to humility is to catch yourself! Acknowledge… “I am only thinking of myself.”
Remind Yourself That Others Are Made in the Image of God
It is easy to forget. But once you catch yourself only thinking about yourself, look around and remind yourself that each and every other person around you has been stamped in the image of God. God looks at them and is immensely proud. He gave them traits and gifts that make Him smile and wants them to be shared and appreciated.
Get Creative
I love Richard Foster’s advice to a more vibrant prayer life in The Celebration of Discipline… He urges the Christian to get creative in how they pray for others. Imagine what they must be feeling in a tough situation. Imagine the thoughts they must be grappling with in a hard time. Get creative and try to think of the moments they are dealing with… And pray for those things. And in the process, that creativity breeds compassion.
In the same way, to appreciate others and to truly count them as more significant than ourselves… Get curious about others’ thoughts, their goals, their dreams, their intentions and their own walks with the Lord… Imagine what is on their hearts and what is on their minds. Or even better yet, ask them about it. When you think about these things and wonder how they stand in a moment in time when you’re with someone, it is a lot easier to think about them (not yourself), root for them and consider their lives as significant.
Something to Chew On:
- When you’re thinking of yourself, do you tend to focus more on your accomplishments and your goals? Or your inadequacies?
- Have you considered dwelling on your own inadequacies as a hindrance to growing in humility under God before? Why do you think that is? How can you hope to change this moving forward?
- What does growing in humility look like?
- Who is someone you admire that is humble? What do they do, say and pursue that makes them this way?
- Think of Christ’s example of coming to earth as a baby and the life He lived thereafter. Dwell on the heart of Jesus. Think of examples of His humility. And ask what it would look like to imitate that.
GreatValue Proverbs:
There are lots of ways to only think of yourself… None of them are all that great.