Pastor Ed’s Blog

Humility is About Honest Self-Awareness

“God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6).

Only the humble receive grace. And since nothing can be accomplished in the Christian life apart from the grace of God, that makes humility the most important character quality we can possess. It’s the key that unlocks the door to the storehouse of God’s grace.

I’m always seeking to understand more fully what humility is, so that I can more fully appropriate God’s grace. Well, I just read an insightful passage by Erwin McManus that I want to share with you:

“Humility’s closest attribute is honesty. Humility doesn’t require us to be self-depreciating. Humility is not about having a low self-image or poor self-esteem. Humility is about self-awareness…The word humble comes from humus, which is simply translated “earth” or “dirt.” Humility is about coming to grips with our humanity. The Scriptures describe a proud person as one who is “puffed up.” Pride is a determination to be seen as bigger than we are. When we are humble, we are down to earth. No energy is wasted on pretention. A humble man can be taken at face value” (Uprising: A Revolution of the Soul).

With  a humble person, what you see is what you get. Humble people are free to be who they are, freely acknowledging their weaknesses and failures. They don’t feel the need to project an inflated image of who they are in order to impress others. There is a tremendous freedom in humility…and abounding grace.