Mothers Group Reflection #35: The Epidemic of False Humility



I have a small bone to pick today. I see an epidemic of false humility infecting the Christian community at large. Maybe I am wrong. I would love to be shown otherwise. I was trying to share one of my spiritual gifts with someone recently and actually felt I needed to apologize for even having it. And I can’t tell you how many times I have stopped and shied away from exposing or fully using one of my gifts because of the environment around me, because the people around me expected that no one could possibly be graced with any great gift like that of the saints, so we should instead settle for mediocre Christianity and look at our shoes. In a society of participation ribbons, we “wouldn’t want anyone else to feel bad or left out.” And yet, we are ALL gifted in one way or another. And the saints? They were just the ones that were put through that long process of canonization. There are countless great saints in history that we will never know about until we are home with our Father in heaven, people just like you and me.

I noticed something recently in Scripture. The main characters, beginning with Jesus, weren’t afraid to be who God made them to be. They didn’t put themselves on a parade float, but they didn’t shy away from doing what they were called to do either. I noticed that Jesus wanted to perform miracles in His hometown, but He couldn’t because of the lack of faith around Him. “And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. And he was amazed at their unbelief” (Mark 6:5-6 NRSVCE). It seems everyone around Him thought Him too ordinary to exhibit such gifts of healing. Why do we believe that God could only give great gifts to someone else? Someone far away, someone holier, someone….different? And aren’t all gifts great, because they are gifts from God?

This is so common in our day and age. We have an epidemic of ego running rampant in the secular culture, yet, few seem to know how to practice genuine humility and recognition of the gifts bestowed on each of us by God. It seems as if we have gone to the other extreme, as Christians, to try to overcompensate for the huge ego running loose around us. I think at it’s core, the world has forgotten God, and as a result, has forgotten its inherent and God-given dignity, and that’s what everyone is looking for, but we have to speak up in order to point the way back. We are looking for God and our dignity in Him. Only, we miss it by choosing to stuff the hole with food, lust, too much television, shopping, etc. OR...we humble brag.

November 1st was All Saints Day, the day when we recognize and honor all the spiritual giants of our faith, whose examples shine like beacons in a dark night, beckoning us to follow in their footsteps, to “be who God meant you to be” so that “you will set the world on fire” (St. Catherine of Siena). Not in our own doing, as we are nothing in and of ourselves, but by the grace and empowering of the Holy Spirit. Truly, all good comes from God alone. The saints weren’t born saints. They were people just like you and me. The difference is, they lived lives of heroic virtue because they didn’t give up. They just kept doing the next right thing and depended on God’s grace. When they fell, they didn’t wallow in self-pity or hide behind blaming someone else. They got back up and tried again and again and again.

On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples as tongues of flame, filling the hearts of the faithful and causing them to speak in languages completely unknown to them, so that they might proclaim the glory of God to all the ends of the earth. We are told that we, too, will be given spiritual gifts for the common good, gifts of uttering wisdom and knowledge, faith, healing, working of miracles, prophecy, discernment of spirits, the gifts of tongues and the interpretations of tongues. (1 Corinthians 12:7-10).

We are also told in the Psalms, “I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well”(Psalm 139:14 NRSVCE). I think we are denying the great glory of God and the praise due Him when we hide our gifts or trot them out in half-hearted ways because we are afraid that acknowledging our gifts might draw attention to ourselves or make us look arrogant or that we might fail somehow in using them. We can have the tendency to shy away from compliments and deflect, yet shouldn’t receiving those compliments bless the giver as well as the Giver of all good gifts? What if someone actually said, “Thank you! Yes, look at the gift God has given me and what it can do through His grace!” Does that not praise the power of God that gave it to us in the first place? And before you think I’m speaking heresy, look to the example or our spiritual mother, Mary.

Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirt and exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.’

And Mary said,

My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.’” - Luke 1:41b-49 NRSVCE

There is nothing in her words to suggest any trace of self-focus, but instead, a great recognition of what God has done for and through her. Can you imagine if someone in our day and age said, “Surely from now on all generations will call me blessed?” They’d most likely be looked at as the kind of person who toots their own horn.

Sometimes, I think we just need a quick refresher on the true meaning of humility, or we go one of two ways with it. We can either look at our shoes and hide our light under a bushel so that we don’t stand out in any way or look “prideful” if we were to just thank someone for a compliment. Or worse, we make self-deprecating comments. Or, on the other end of the spectrum, and probably because we held in the truth of the matter too long, we can fall into outward pride by getting annoyed others don’t do things the way we would do them, using our words to look down at others or correct, out of wrong motives, rather than just say, “I have a great idea to solve this problem. Would you be interested in hearing it?” Either way is actually a form of pride, whether subtle or overt, it is a focus on self and others’ opinions rather than focus on God. And I point a finger first and foremost at myself. Either one is a very easy trap to fall into at times, especially in our current social climate.

True humility is to live in the truth! To allow that truth to be seen and to walk with confidence. Not in any way to show off, but so that we can truly put our gifts to use. If we have a gift, it should be used for the benefit of all, with great joy and purpose. I think we know this, we just don’t want to be the first one to do it. I think of St. Therese today, she who desired more than anything to be not only a saint, but a GREAT saint! She even desired to be a doctor of the church (which she later became). She recognized that she would not be able to have this desire were it not for the great God who put it within her and that He would be the one to bring it to fruition, with her cooperation, if it was in His will. She had so many desires she couldn’t possibly do them all in one lifetime until she found the one thing that encompassed them all...love. And that is what she did. She loved in the heart of the church for all those on the front lines, all those doing the very things she herself desired, but was unable to do. She realized that without love to empower them, no one would do these great things anymore. Preachers would stop preaching. Martyrs would no longer shed their blood. She loved and she prayed and sat at the feet of God, praising Him day and night (Story of a Soul, Chapter XI).

We are all called to be saints, whether we are ever canonized or not, but do you believe this is possible in your own life? Is it something that you teach your children to strive for? To give their all in the love of God? Do you believe that God can do anything through a humble, willing heart, or do you limit Him out of fear? Maybe that will be simple things like folding socks day after day, but with an uncommon love and care for the wearer of those socks. Maybe it will be something “great” in the eyes of the world. Either way, I believe we bring great honor to God when we seek to discover our gifts and put them into use, and when we see ourselves, as His creation, with truth and true humility, offering daily gratitude for all He has given us, while doing each act, whether large or small, with great love.

Questions for further reflection:
What are some of your spiritual gifts? Are you currently using them? If not, what is holding you back from doing so? I invite you to spend some time in prayer this week and to allow yourself to think on your biggest dreams, your biggest desires within. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal these things to you and how they can be used in some way in the weeks to come.



Photo Credit: William Bout, StockSnap.io

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