I was told once that I had a humble demeanor. I've been thinking these last few days what being humble really is. Society often uses the word almost synonymously with someone who has low self confidence or doesn't think much of himself or herself, someone who is blinded from his or her potential to rise and shine. For me, I don't personally feel like I'm that humble. There are times when my ridiculous stubbornness kicks in. Sometimes I wonder about these blogs and wonder if I'm making myself look more perfect than I really am. Spoil alert: I'm not perfect at all. After thinking about it I'm thinking that there's more to humility that's admirable.
Life has provided me a good share of its humble pie, some which has been a little more tasty than others, but no matter the experience, I've been slowly learning some of the characteristics and true features of what real humility consists of. Again, I'm not a master of all of these. Like everyone else, I still have lessons to learn as challenging as they may be.
An expression of love. For the religious community, charity is the word they use for pure love. It extends beyond service, as noble as that is. It's a deep matter of the heart. I would take an educated guess that in order to obtain it, one must have humility. Obedience in this matter doesn't mean doing what people tell you just because it's expected or because it's the thing to do. Appropriate and beneficial obedience is an expression of trust, that you are putting your trust in that other person's hands. It's also a sign of devotion.
An opportunity for instruction and growth. Yeah. Perhaps not the most comfortable part of humility here, but it's for the best. As life goes on, we get stretched and pulled one way or the other, and we're left with a choices of how to react. In many instances, we are brought down and forced to face our weakness. Some are minute, and some are large giants that appear to be invincible. It can be a dark place to be, but it's also an opportunity to reset ourselves and work to a better level, at whatever pace is needed to get out of it. It comes with a desire to do better, to be better. It comes with the hope and faith that improvement is possible.
Expands the ability to love your neighbor. I'm not necessarily talking about the person next door, but in the general terms of dealing with the people that come into our lives each day. It's having a lack of enmity, an absence speaking ill of others. It's being able to look at others and see past their appearances. Some might use the terminology as being non-judgmental, but I have a little bit of an issue using that term, because I unfortunately find that people who use this terminology are unknowingly or knowingly using it in a context that is proving them guilty of the same thing they are accusing the others of. This may be a slight sidetrack, but I find that most people who make those so-called judgmental comments are actually generally really good people who try to live their lives the best they can. The issue is that they have been raised to think a certain way, and because it's been ingrained so deeply inside them they don't understand it's a problem. I'm quite sure I've had times when I was guilty of it myself, and I think most humans have those moments. The goal here is to be able to see each one as a fellow human being without casting immediate judgement on him or her without good reason. Keeping those ideas and mindsets out of our minds will open us up to others and actually expand our minds and understandings, and that's always beneficial for all parties involved.
I still need to take some time thinking over this. As simple as humility is, there's a lot about it that needs to be considered. Time to go and do some more thinking. In the meantime, be safe, have hope, and be at peace. There's still beauty in the world for those who look for it.
Have a great day.
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| Whether Mother Teresa said this or my next door neighbor said this doesn't matter, but the message does. |
