Lord, you see me as I truly am. Open the eyes of my heart and allow me to see myself as I truly am.
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God.” People who follow Jesus see from the heart their own spiritual poverty. The bulk of humanity, however, wants to hold onto a vestige of goodness within themselves. Others within the church sometimes pay lip service to their spiritual bankruptcy. They acknowledge it intellectually as a doctrine, but they do not see it from the heart. Until this truth hits our heart, we do not have humility.
God reserves His blessings for the poor in spirit because they are the most honest people. The woman who recognizes that she has nothing to bring to God and who humbles herself before Him actually sees reality. She honestly believes what is true. God likes that.
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” People who follow Jesus do not put themselves forward. One cannot follow Jesus and exalt self simultaneously. Of course, we struggle with this, but a heart touched by the Spirit of God knows enough of its own sin to not be pushy. It knows it is not worthy enough to demand its own way. It grows gentler.
The humble man “does not concern himself with great matters or things too wonderful” for him. Humility does not have to know everything. A humble man sees realistically the limits of his own knowledge and abilities. He does not demand that God explain why Mom suffered so much before she died. He does not require that God provide more evidence before he will believe. He does not have to know the answer to the dilemma between free will and predestination. He does not need to have the future mapped out. He does not have to know “why” before he obeys. He does not read the Bible in order to gather answers or understand subtleties. He reads the Bible in order to see God and to live a more holy life.
The humble man acknowledges that he will never understand many issues, and he is OK with that. Arrogance insists that God reveal things that people were never intended to fully know. Arrogance is never satisfied, never at peace.
A father said to his young daughter, “I don’t want you to play in Serena’s yard anymore.”
“Why?” she asked.
“I can’t tell you why,” the father said, for she could not understand even if she was told.
The daughter could demand that her father tell her before she obeyed. Or she could trust him. Humility trusts even when it does not understand. The humble man submits to God. The one who is content not knowing everything, thus, understands more than the one who must know it all, for you will not learn of God until you trust Him.
The humble man is “like a weaned child with its mother.” He is able to still and quiet his soul. Humility is quiet and strong. It is strong because it honestly sees its own weakness. Humility brings great peace. It brings peace because it is open to God. Humility rejoices the heart. It does so because it takes the focus of the heart off of self, and self inhibits joy. Humble people are the freest, most secure, and happiest people on Earth. They do not pretend to be great, and so they can be themselves before God. And when you can be yourself before God, then you are free to love your neighbor.
