Humility is Always a Good Choice

You save a humble people, but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them down. 2 Samuel 22:28

I like to think that I’m physically strong and, to be fair, I can probably squat more than most 52-year-olds. Do I find some satisfaction in that? I’d be lying if I said I didn’t. It is a dangerous thing though, to pride myself on something so ephemeral and precarious. When last year’s CrossFit competition cycle ended early for me because I didn’t make it to the finals, I watched the videos of those guys who did make it. Their abilities made me look like a child. Even in my own gym, there are several guys who can lift more than me. If I’m seeking my center and meaning in comparing myself to others, finding myself to be better than them, I’m going to be continually disappointed. There are always going to be those who’re stronger, smarter, taller, or better looking. Pride – thinking first of me because I’m better than – is a trap, which will always leave me feeling frustrated when I encounter those who honestly are better than me.

Though pride may be my natural response, humility is the healthy response. This is the message of today’s passage, in which King David declared that God saves the humble but seeks to topple the proud. Pride – thinking first of me – puts me in a position of enmity towards God. Humility however – thinking of others more – aligns me with God. I would never consciously choose to be enemies with God, but when I embrace pride, that’s exactly what I do.

Seeking my joy and meaning in me and my way will always make me miserable in the end. So, I must often remind myself that humility is always a good choice. I don’t mean that I must be self-deprecating but rather that I must think of myself less and think of others more. Pride puts me at the center of my life. Humility puts other first. Pride needs me to be exalted. Humility seeks the good of those around me. Pride hates that guy who is stronger than me. Humility celebrates the success of my friends. Pride is one of those things that I despise in others, but which is so easy to embrace in my own life. Humility, on the other hand, is profoundly attractive in others, but is difficult to choose for myself.

Would I like to be the strongest 52-year-old on Earth? Sure. But even if I got there, that couldn’t give me authentic, lasting joy. Eventually, my strength will fade, and someone will always become bigger, stronger, or faster. Authentic joy and peace come only in a humble relationship with God. Pride makes me miserable, but humility is always a good choice.