I was forced to ask myself this question recently. Peter writes that if you do wrong and take it patiently, what’s so great about that? But if you do good and suffer for it, that’s commendable. I had a recent situation in my life where I believed I was in the right and not doing anything wrong. I felt like wrong was being done to me. I got very upset, very, very, very, did I say very, upset. What they were doing seemed completely unjustified and almost malicious.
But then this verse came to mind. It times like this when I’m reminded how much the Holy Spirit renews our spiritual being and flails against our fleshly thoughts. Me, don roach, wanted to get these people back somehow and prove my rightness. But, as I remember that God’s in control of all situations, I want choose His rightness not my own.
Think about it, if God made sure we suffered every single wrong thought, action, word, etc. we had I’m not sure if many of us would make it past age 5. I think true humility is understanding, no embracing, your inadequacies in light of the greatness of God. Once you do that it’s not very easy to self-justify to claim the high ground over another inadequate human being.
This isn’t passive wimpiness, but the power coming from owning your place in the world. We’re loved by a forgiving Parent who sees beyond our faults and He asks us to do the same for others. While we’re not perfect at it by any stretch, when there are times you can honestly be free from a judgmental thought towards your neighbor it’s one of the most liberating experiences.
And, in my opinion, that’s the real definition of humility.
