"No greater joy can I have than this, to hear that my children follow the truth." (2 John 4)

FOR YOUR REFLECTION: We live in a time and culture that does not honor humility, defined as "a modest view of one's own importance, a sense of humbleness." I appreciate the viewpoint from The Book of Joy: "Humility is the recognition that your gifts are from God and this lets you sit relatively loosely to those gifts. Humility allows us to celebrate the gifts of others, but it does not mean you have to deny your own gifts or shrink from using them. God uses each of us in our own way and even if you are not the best one, you may be the one who is needed or the one who is there." (page 211)

 

A sense of humility allows us to see and take our place in God's world, that we are important and others are equally important; that we have particular gifts and skills, just as others have; that we are excellent or even the best at some things, just as other are as well. And all of it is a gift from God! This viewpoint allows us to live in humility, which is both an acknowledgement of our limitations and also a celebration of our gifts. Humility is a pillar of joy because we are free to be who we really are and how God sees us. We are able to acknowledge the God-given presence inside us, which feeds and grounds our joy. We know our place-not in some submissive kind of way-but in a delighted and grateful way.