Eat More Humble-Berry Pie

Need:  Eat More Humble-Berry Pie

The Story:  Colossians 3:12 

The Apostle Paul urges his readers that they should act according to their new identity.  Since they are in Christ, they are holy and loved, and they have a responsibility to act appropriately.  Paul tells his readers that they should clothe themselves with humility.

Application:

Humility is being free from arrogance and pride.  It is an accurate estimation of one’s value and worth.  The lack of humility (pride) inhibits our growth and is an obstacle to contentment.  

Humility is in short supply in the 21st Century.  People saturate social media trying to display how great they think they are.  Between Twitter quips, Facebook posts, and TikTok dance numbers, society seems addicted to self-adulation and entertainment.  People digitally cry, “Everyone, look at me and like/friend/share me!”  The reason we all seek this is that it is pleasurable, and it’s filling.  But filling does not mean fulfilling.  Filling our minds and time with entertainment leads to meaningless, unfulfilled lives. 

In this section of Colossians, Paul is urging his readers (which includes us) to cultivate the virtue of humility which is a characteristic of Christ.  We develop this characteristic by respecting and honoring others, which means our patients.  This action turns the attention away from ourselves and to others as we “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.” (Phil 2:3)

Benefits

And there are multiple benefits of practicing humility.  Humility leads to more self-control, improved empathy, less anxiety, and decreases prejudice because humble people tend to accept others and their beliefs.  Humble people do not think they are entitled and generally have a better work ethic.  All these benefits strengthen our ability to be content while simultaneously limiting burnout.  It’s a win-win.

Practice

One way to do this is to compliment others and highlight their giftedness.  This attitude reveals God to others and drives us toward contentment benefiting us and others.  When was the last time you complimented your patient?  But if you need a quick dose of humility,

try eating with your opposite hand. 

Better yet, let someone else watch you do it and give them the gift of entertainment.

 

Contentment Key:  Humility cultivates contentment and benefits others and ourselves. 
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