In Biblical times the Greeks did not value humility as a virtue.  As a matter of fact, the Greek work for humble means “slavish or ignoble.”  The humility that is exhibited in this life, more often than not, is a false humility – pride with a mask on.  As humans we have a tendency to be filled with a sense of our own importance.  It was only when Christ came that lowliness became a virtue to be valued and coveted.  If only we could all keep a proper perspective in the midst of human pursuits – our lives would bear the fruit of true humility.  William Beebe, the naturalist, used to tell this story about Teddy Roosevelt and how he kept grounded in this regard:

At Sagamore Hill, after an evening of talk, the two would go out on the lawn and search the skies for a certain spot of star-like light near the lower left-hand corner of the Great Square of Pegasus. Then Roosevelt would recite: "That is the Spiral Galaxy in Andromeda. It is as large as our Milky Way. It is one of a hundred million galaxies. It consists of one hundred billion suns, each larger than our sun."  Then Roosevelt would grin and say, "Now I think we are small enough! Let's go to bed."

I hope we are able to embrace and emulate the inspired counsel of the Apostle Paul: “If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 2:1-5

Ephesians 4:1-2

Lead a life…with all lowliness and gentleness,

with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love. 

Continually Learning this Lesson,

Pastor Tammy