A dose of humility

In this episode, I tell the story of a moment that’s stayed with me for more than forty-five years—a simple comment from a friend that exposed a blind spot I didn’t know I had. 

I thought I understood humility. I preached about it. Quoted it. Admired it. 

But one honest sentence from a friend made me see myself more clearly than any compliment I ever had. If you’ve ever needed a gentle correction—or been grateful for a friend brave enough to give one—this episode is for you….

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Transcript

 099 A Dose of Humility from a Friend

I wanna give a shout-out to Betty and Dan Rust from Madisonville, Kentucky, who encouraged me recently by suggesting their friends on Facebook listen to this podcast. 

My commitment is to continue this message each week as long as at least one person listens. This is a way you can help keep it alive – invite others to listen to each episode you find interesting. Here is the recent post from Betty Rust on Facebook.

Just wanted to share, a friend of Dan Rust and me, Jerrie Barber, has a weekly podcast called Gleaning Mustard Seeds. Jerrie shares his thoughts on several situations that are often encountered in churches and in today's society.

Today's podcast #86 is titled Dealing with Difficult People. As I listened, I wondered if we are being Christ-like, do we often hurt others with our words,  actions, and sometimes lack of words and actions? Maybe instead of criticizing,  show appreciation and encouragement.

In podcast #80, Jerrie offers some thoughts about suicide. This is a topic that I heard about when I was growing up; I heard a few family members often threaten to use a gun, phone cords, or a knife. It's hard, it's emotional. It's a very dark place to be, and in my opinion, people don't seek help before it's too late. 

If you’d be interested in listening to Jerrie Barber's podcast, you can type in Gleaning Mustard Seeds in the search bar, and you will see a place to view all of them.

Thank you, Betty and Dan! You encouraged me by telling me what I’m doing is helpful and told your friends how they might benefit by listening also.

In this episode, I tell the story of a moment that’s stayed with me for more than forty-five years—a simple comment from a friend that exposed a blind spot I didn’t know I had. 

I thought I understood humility. I preached about it. Quoted it. Admired it. 

But one honest sentence from a friend made me see myself more clearly than any compliment I ever had. If you’ve ever needed a gentle correction—or been grateful for a friend brave enough to give one—this episode is for you….

Jesus begins the Beatitudes in his Sermon on the Mount by encouraging humility.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. — Matthew 5:3

This quality is taught many other times in the Bible:

James 4:10 (NKJV): Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

1 Peter 5:5-6 (NLT): Clothe yourselves...with humility toward one another, for 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.' Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you.

Philippians 2:3 (NLT): Don't be selfish; don't try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.

Proverbs 11:2 (NLT): Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.

Luke 14:11 (ESV): For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

Micah 6:8 (ESV): And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

Here are some humorous descriptions of humility:

The ability to downplay achievements you secretly wish someone would film a documentary about.

When you accept you’re not the center of the universe, but still hope the universe notices that.

Agreeing you might be wrong, fully aware that you’ve researched this more than the person correcting you.

As a young preacher, I knew when I preached a good sermon: adequate preparation, good timing to meet the needs of the congregation, a well-presented sermon, nods of heads, focused attention, and specific comments from several who found the lesson helpful.

On other occasions, I knew the sermon wasn’t excellent: not as much preparation, exhausted when I delivered, confusion at some point, and lack of attention from those listening. I didn’t feel good about the whole process.

And yet, often an individual’d come to me after the sermon, which I thought was a disaster, telling me how helpful some point was. It gave a perspective she’d never thought of before. I helped a person find hope in something that was bothering him.

This happened several times.

A group was discussing this one night after services in Madisonville, Kentucky.

I shared my observations:

I know when I’ve preached a good sermon.

I know some sermons are not as good. I’m disappointed in myself and the way the sermon turned out. Yet, after about every one of those I thought was bad, one or two people’d tell me how helpful it was.

After considering my comments, I realized how I came across. “I’m a good preacher and know when I preach a good sermon. There are times when I think I’ve preached a bad sermon. Most of the time when I think I’ve preached a bad sermon, someone tells me it was helpful to them. Therefore, I guess I’m a good preacher all time.”

Other preachers told me they’ve had similar responses.

On the night when this group was talking, a friend, Jane Washington, said, “Jerrie, did it ever occur to you that sometimes you’re so bad we think that if we didn’t encourage you, you might just quit?”

My reply, “No. I’d never thought about it that way. But I promise you. I’ll think about it many times in the future.” I’ve kept my promise to Jane.

I needed the dose of humility.

This exchange expresses the thought of Proverbs 27:17:

As iron sharpens iron,
 So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.

I’m thankful for friends who help me knock off the rough edges and become sharper.

A dose of reality and a different perspective is a good treatment for arrogance.

Thank you, Jane. I still remember and appreciate the sharpening after more than forty-five years.