23 Feb True Humility

“True humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.” CS Lewis, Mere Christianity

CS Lewis’s definition of humility keeps coming back to my mind as I think through and process what we learned in the “Me” series.

In some ways, it goes against everything I believe humility is. On the surface it seems like humility is more about recognizing your weaknesses, accepting them and not thinking you are better than you are or better than others. Another way I have tried to humble myself is by focusing on the depth of my sin and brokenness and the undeserved grace that God has given me. Both of these trains of thoughts are indeed humbling, but are they true humility?

True humility is not something that comes naturally to me, or likely to most of us. We are taught as Americans to live the American dream, strive for greatness, pursue happiness; it’s ingrained in us at every turn. Mix that cultural piece with our natural bent towards sinful self-centeredness and you get a whole lot of pride.

“Thinking less of myself is still thinking primarily about me.”

Thinking less of myself is still thinking primarily about me. When I think about my weaknesses, my thoughts can quickly turn to self-pity. I wish that I had gifts that others have; I focus on what I lack. I experience a sense of hopelessness that I have nothing of value to give. When I think about my sin, I feel regret and despair, but my mind can easily turn to comparing my sin to that of others. Traveling down the path of comparison, I see my recognition of sin, my heart of service, my motivations, my “humble” attitude as more evolved. I judge others’ perceived lack of humility. And in the moment, I don’t even see the self righteous pride in that!

On a practical level, every day I interpret every single thing that happens and how it affects me. It all relates back to me in some way. That change in plans, that weather system, that obnoxious politician, that line at the grocery store, that tree my neighbor planted, that comment from a friend, that invitation that never came, that look from my teenager – I am constantly assessing how everything affects me. My thoughts are so oriented towards me, what I want, what I will or will not do, how I will or will not respond – how do I have time to think about anything else! This continual stream of me-centered consciousness comes almost as naturally as breathing. And it reveals the nearly bottomless depth of my pride.

There is hope. If we will focus our attention on the Lord, abide in His word, our thought-life will be transformed. His thoughts become our thoughts, His ways, our ways. This is how we break the cycle, we need something to replace our thoughts of “me” with! As we grow and become more like Christ, the things that are important to Him, become important to us.

How much are you thinking about yourself? Are you always interpreting how experiences impact you? How can you turn your thoughts from yourself towards God and others? How can you live in true humility?

– Keri Geary, Downtown