Humility as liberation

Note: I am responsible for evening prayers on Wednesdays in my community. During the evenings we talk about one aspect of our rule of life. I choose to write a mini reflection when I lead prayers.

Humility –Living one’s life in perspective, in a commitment to assess and honor one’s own gifts and those of others.

Many times when we think of humility we often associate it with thinking less of ourselves. We associate it with the opposite of pride.  And sure, there are some people who have an outsized view of themselves, who view themselves as smarter, prettier, richer, and more important than others.  We’ve all heard the phrase, “need to be humbled” and we may have used it ourselves to speak of a friend, family member, or colleague who just gets on our nerves for thinking they are better than we are. 

But humility is also about perspective and balance. Sure, there are some people who might need to take their opinion of themselves down a few pegs. But the reality is, that there are many others who view themselves with such disdain that they need to raise their opinion of themselves. People especially women, queer people, and people of color are often used to a society telling us that we are worthless and rejecting them. We don’t necessarily need to be “humbled” in the attitude needs to be bought down way. Dominant society does that already. we, they need to be encouraged to honor themselves. Humility looks different for those who are told by the dominant society that they are unimportant. 

Humility requires an honest and balanced view of ourselves (and others). It is acknowledgment, yes of our weaknesses, of our mistakes, of our failures but also of our strengths, our wins, and our successes. Not for the sake of making ourselves appear better than others, but for the sake of creating a more just and equitable world. 

I believe in a God who co-creates with us, and who works alongside us as we seek to bring about a better world. As such, why wouldn’t God want us to use our gifts and talents, especially in ways that create joy and equality as opposed to injustice and oppression? 

Humility is about embracing the fullness of ourselves not to view ourselves as better than others or as worth less than others, but to acknowledge that we are beloved children of God.  Moreover, how we view ourselves is deeply tied to how we view others. A distorted view of ourselves makes it difficult to view other people in the fullness of their humanity. A distorted view of ourselves can lead us to put others on a pedestal (and then tear them apart when they disappoint us), or we demonize or debase others, viewing them as enemies or as insignificant.

But humility allows us to see ourselves and others more clearly. It encourages us to embrace our own gifts and notice and nurture that of others. Humility pushes back against the dog-eat-dog world of unfettered capitalism and invites us to imagine a world where all of us can flourish.

Image: a woman with hands folded beneath her chin. Text: I believe in a God who co-creates with us, and who works alongside us as we seek to bring about a better world. As such, why wouldn’t God want us to use our gifts and talents, especially in ways that create joy and equality as opposed to injustice and oppression?