How to Go From Prideful to Humble?
“Not my will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42b NIV)
What Is Pride Actually?
When I thought of someone as prideful, I imagined an arrogant, boastful person with an ego so big that it left no space for anyone or anything else. That is until my pastor shared this definition of pride one Sunday morning:
Pride is thinking too much about yourself, either too highly or too lowly of yourself, and not enough about God.[i]
Wait a minute. Thinking too lowly of yourself is also prideful? I audibly gasped. My head started spinning. Oh no! My mind often focused on thoughts of my failures, my unworthiness, my insecurities, and my shortcomings. Being full of myself was something I was confident I was not guilty of, but this ….
This new knowledge knocked me right off my prideful pedestal. Oh, how the truth hurts.
What Is Humility Actually?
The lens of our worldview causes us to equate humility with weakness, low self-esteem, and passivity. On the contrary, Biblical humility doesn’t render us powerless rather it empowers us to carry out the kingdom work God has planned for you. 1 Peter 5:5-7 shows us that humility requires submission of our will to God. As we become lowly in God’s presence, He promises to give us grace and exalt us in His own way and timing. Therefore, humility means willingly accepting the task assigned to you by your Heavenly Father, regardless of how it appears, and trusting that in His infinite wisdom, He has chosen what is best for you. (For more insight, read Luke 14:7-11) In essence saying “not my will but Yours be done.” (Luke 22:42b)
God may give you a difficult assignment. He may be asking you to love someone who is unlovable, to walk through the challenges of recovering from an eating disorder, to shepherd a difficult child. Even though you may not understand your assignment, put your hope and trust in Him. Rest in the knowledge that God’s will is better than your own regardless of the outcome. To be able to truly say “not my will but yours be done,” that’s humility.
George MacDonald described it this way: “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.”
It takes a humble spirit to acknowledge our need for God and to understand that God’s “power works best in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9 NLT). God has given us power through Jesus death on a cross to overcome the power of sin. “And because you belong to Him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death” (Romans 8:1-2 NIV). What good news! We can transform our pride by walking in a spirit of humility.
[i] Jim Samra, Article: Pride and Humility (Grand Rapids, MI, 2013).