Humility through the Cross
- nuscss
- Jun 5, 2020
- 4 min read
“Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.”
1 Peter 3:8
I’ve often thought of humility as a lowering of one’s self and thinking of others more than I do myself. But does this mean that I am less than others? Must I believe that I am worth less than my brothers and sisters around me?
If that is the case, then what kind of humility is that? If I needed to believe that I was worth less than the person next to me, then there wouldn’t be a need for me to lower myself. I would already be beneath them.
The voices of world are loud, and their destructive words ring in our ears, drowning out the gentle and loving voice of the Lord speaking from the depths of our heart. You are not good enough, you will never amount to anything, things are better without you, you can’t be loved, you don’t deserve love, you are worthless… Often, these lies reverberate within us and seek to shake the very foundations our hearts are built upon. They seek to wear us down into believing what we are not. Or maybe in the process of growing up many of you, like me, have already been conditioned to believe in these lies.
Created in God’s image and likeness
But is this the truth of us? Absolutely not! In fact, we cannot be further from the truth.
We know, from the book of Genesis, that God created mankind in His own image (Gen 1:27). This is the truth of our intrinsic worth. He made all of us after Himself – not one was made to be less than the other. Indeed, we are all fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14) and we are all loved equally by God the Father.
We, and every human being on Earth, are precious gifts from God to each other. We each carry our own unique set of talents and personality without which, the world would be bland and stale. We are needed where we are, and the world wouldn’t be the same without us. Truly we are worth everything to our good Father because He sent His only Son to suffer and die for our sake.
Our worth is found in the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ.
What does it mean to be humble?
Now, we know that true humility isn’t devaluing yourself or discounting your worth. So, it begs the question: what does it mean to be truly humble?
Perhaps, true humility stems from an acceptance of our own worth and a contentment in the gifts God has given to us. Perhaps, we must first see our own worth and the worth of others as God does. Perhaps, it is only through this recognition of the inherent good in the other that we choose to bend low and serve others. Perhaps this is what St Thomas Aquinas meant when he wrote “humility sees God in every fellow man and bows to that which is divine.”
“Humility is the fear of the Lord; its wages are riches and honour and life.”
Proverbs 22:4
In this sense, a humble heart is one which is afraid of offending the God whom it has come to love. It is one that then seeks to love as God does. Only then can we wash the feet of our brothers and sisters just as Jesus has done for us.
To be gentle and humble in heart
“Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.” – Mt 16:24-26
However, we cannot do this by our own strength. We need to rely on the guidance of the Good Shepherd and let Him lead us deeper into His loving heart.
“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” – Mt 11:29-30
To shoulder His yoke, isn’t simply a denying of ourselves and picking up our cross. It is to share in the cross that Jesus carries. In His sorrowful passion, Jesus looked over the world as He hung from the cross and prayed for the very people who put him up there.
“Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.’” – Lk 23:34
Can we say the same for the friend who stabbed us in the back? For the one who broke our trust? Or for the one who condemned us unjustly? Truly, to love as Jesus does is no easy task.
How often do we, in our ministries, lament and complain about the problems other people give us and the pains they bring to us? In truth, I’m guilty of this as well. But of course, when we view our struggles without eyes of love, we will see everything as problems – our problems. Upon deeper reflection, God has helped me to realise that if I look at my life through the eyes of love then the laborious admin work becomes a labour of love, the stubborn sheep becomes a friend to cherish and the tiring days become a worthwhile sacrifice. I have found that my burdens have become lighter and my crosses easier to bear all because I’m beginning to share in the cross of Jesus Christ.
Jesus’ invitation for us is to see the world as He sees it, all while bearing the crosses in our lives. Only then can we be like our Good Shepherd – gentle and humble in heart.
Will you claim the truth that you are beloved? That you are worth so much more than you think? Will you dare to let the Good Shepherd lead you into greater love and humility?
I pray that we may all have the grace to accept the love of God and to see ourselves as He sees us. Then will we truly be able to see others as God sees them. Blessed Mother, pray for us.
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