Humility (Dictionary): Freedom from pride or arrogance : the quality or state of being humble: The ordeal taught her humility.
Humility (Bible): Lowliness of mind, humility, gentleness, to make low, meekness.
As I head down the path of “getting older” I find the Lord is working on me and guiding me how to grow in kindness and humility. We know that the Lord wants us to walk humbly:
Micah 6:8 He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God? (NASB)
We also know that Jesus set the standard for a humble/servant heart:
John 13:3-5: 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God, 4 got up from supper, and laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself. 5Then He poured water into the basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. 6 So He came to Simon Peter. He said to Him, Lord, do You wash my feet? 7 Jesus answered and said to him, “What I do you do not realize now, but you will understand hereafter.” (NASB)
As we study this famous scene we see Jesus humbling Himself. Peter tries to rebuke Him but Jesus quickly changes Peters rebuke. Jesus had made it clear that everything said or done was from Father God. Jesus was teaching the disciples the need to be humble and how to serve.
Over the past two weeks the Holy Spirit has been reminding me of the continuing need for humbleness in my life. He did that through-of all things- shoe laces!
I purchased some slippers and had all kinds of issues with the laces. I am still working on that problem. But in the meantime, my sneaker laces had to be replaced. Somehow, they were torn apart and cut. They were replaced. And life goes on. No problem!
One of the places I go is the YMCA. Last week as I was walking across the second-floor weight room, a man stopped me and said my one shoe lace was untied. I said I would take care of it but he insisted my laces needed to be tied! And in fact, he said he himself would tie the laces. This is where the humbleness came in. A small group of people had formed where we were talking. I was feeling embarrassed and really did not want to sit down on the floor! All I could think was the people near us would see an old man (i.e. me) not even able to tie his own sneaker laces! But the man insisted and I set aside my pride, sat down and he tied the laces! He double tied them and they were perfect. I stood up, thanked him and heard a man say “what a servant!” The man was gone and I wonder if the man may have been an angel? One thing for sure-he was definitely a humble servant.
Now for the second half of the story. I headed to the locker room and soon discovered that my other lace had a knot which would take Sampson to open. But there were two men standing near my locker. All I could envision was hopping down the hallway to my car on one shoe. They saw my predicament and offered help. The one man had a tool which he used to open the knot! I was a little embarrassed but thankful!
The Bible has much to say about humility and humbleness.
Proverbs 15:33: 33 Fear of the LORD teaches wisdom; humility precedes honor. (NASB)
Philippians 2:3-7: 3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; 4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. 5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. (NASB)
I didn’t expect the whole “shoe lace” thing to happen but I now have a renewed picture of humbleness and appreciate what God allows me to experience. To Him belongs all glory and praise!
