Here’s a huge paradox: Jesus tells us that people who become humble are exalted, while those who exalt themselves are humbled. The word humility comes from the Latin word humus that means soil, earth. It connotes being down-to-earth, grounded, unpretentious. Not a door mat. No inferiority complex. Easily acknowledging deficiencies and mistakes. Grateful for assets and accomplishments with no feelings of superiority, just gratitude.
Humility derives from being tuned-in to the Source of all creation, living in close relationship with the Giver of all gifts. Experiencing God’s greatness reveals our own smallness. God alone sees all that is, visible and invisible—past, present, and into the future. People who put their trust in God’s wisdom and goodness develop solid confidence that is not self-confidence; it is confidence in God. Humility is a strong, life-giving quality that comes to those who live in the flow of the Spirit. A person who is humble realizes his or her need for God and other people.
…our perception of people, situations, events, and issues is limited by time, geography, culture, and personality type. God alone sees all things from every possible perspective—past, present, and future.
– Farnham and Grayson, Keeping in Tune with God, p. 17
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