Since I wrote my last blog connecting, or more accurately contrasting, gratitude and entitlement I have read two blogs on humility. Coincidence? I think not!
Richard Rohr, in his daily blog writes “John of the Cross understood the true meaning of humility, which is not self-deprecation or low self-esteem, but a simple acknowledgment that I am very small, quickly passing, and insignificant as a separate self. That is just objective truth. Our dignity and sacredness precisely comes from our connection [to God].”
The teaching of humility is one that parents must engage in while at the same time insuring that their youngsters have solid self-esteem. I can remember an occasion when I was a teenager and feeling pretty cocky. I was helping my mother in the garden as I rattled on about how important I was to a particular group. My mom had a bucket filled with water near by. She asked me to put my hand in the bucket and then remove it. “How big a hole is left?” she asked. “That is how big any hole will be when you leave! No person is indispensable.” It was a powerful object lesson and, obviously, one I have never forgotten. It taught humility.
For me one thing that is connected to humility is the fleeting passage of time and our role in the BIG picture. In Genesis 3:19 we read “You are dust and to dust you shall return.” A reminder that life is entrusted to us for a few years and then civilization continues without us. To this end, I keep in mind an old Arab proverb. “I will set my face to wind and scatter my handful of seed on high.” To me, that is the call of life – to do our best – to make a difference – to contribute but to remember we are small and quickly passing.
Mac Davis warbled the words, O Lord, it’s hard to be humble, when you’re perfect in every way. I can’t wait to look in the mirror, when I get better looking each day!” Do you find it a challenge to balance humility with self-esteem? Are they opposite ends of a continuum for you or, as St. John of the Cross says, completely different things? Does your spiritual self enter into this continuum? Ponder this while you are sitting on the dock enjoying a loooong holiday weekend.
