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"How Great Thou Art" Reflections and Readings Humility [ Humility - UCS ] [ Towards Humility - Sufi ] [ Humility - essay ] [ Humility is Greatness - Ichthys ] [ Who am I - external link (Elvis Presley - song and lyrics) ]

Humility United Communities of Spirit Humility is an essential attitude for success in the spiritual life. Any self-conceit, whether nurtured by superior intelligence, wealth, a high position, or the praise of others, is an obstacle on the path. Genuine humility is not posturing. It requires a constant willingness to deny oneself, to be critical of oneself, and to be open to Heaven's guidance even when it differs from one's own preconceived concepts. We open with passages which set forth the value of humility, meek- ness, and modesty. Humility requires sincerity and honesty; thus some passages liken the humble person to a little child, whose natural spontaneity and acceptance of life is the antithesis of the often complicated personality of the adult with its many masks, hidden resentments, and prejudices. Here is also the wisdom of the paradox (see Reversal, pp. 544-50) that the person who is humble and self-effacing ultimately prospers and wins more respect from others than the person who is proud and powerful. Next come passages enjoining humility before God and the recognition that the success of all our endeavors ultimately depends on God's favor. This is the attitude expressed by the common Muslim saying insha'llah, "God willing." The humble person does not regard his possessions or accomplishments as his own, but as a gift of God, to whom is due all thanks. A third group of passages meditate on the insignificance, transience, and lowness of the human being, who is nothing but a puff of wind, a bag of excrement, food for worms. Finally, we conclude with passages which warn against letting the praise of others or great learning or high position go to the head and cause self-conceit. Indeed, it is those who are most favored with talent, intelligence, and worldly success who most often succumb to pride and thus lose their way. Interfaith passages at: origin.org/ucs/ws/theme128.cfm

Towards Humility Naqshbandi Sufi Our aim is to take away empty pride from human beings. This empty pride is destroying them. Pride makes the human away from other humans. The one who has empty pride must be alone. Number one is the only person. Everyone wants to be number one. If everyone wants to be number one it is impossible. There are millions of people in the world it is impossible for all of them to be number one. There is going to be a crowd of people. No pride. If you destroy pride, he is not going to have any aim to be number one - then every title suits him. Source: uksufi.co.uk/Newcomers/Humility.htm

Humility is greatness R.J. Funkhauser Thursday, April 29, 1954 If I had to choose one word, and one word only, with which to describe greatness, that word would be "Humility." Nearly two thousand years ago the greatest of the great, a Divine Personality, stood on a mountain and declared that the meek shall inherit the earth. He also said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." This Divine Personality, in the tortured flesh of a man, had the humbleness to carry the Cross on which he was to be crucified, mid the hiss of the rabble and the jeers of barbarous soldiers. He had the meekness to wear a crown of thorns that others might wear a diadem in God's eternal kingdom. That great humility is reflected in our sacred hymns as we sing of the "meek and lowly Jesus," who said to us: "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart . . ." Surely, such humility is the word of greatness. Humility in greatness, humbleness in success, meekness in victory do not belong to the greedy, the gangsters, the ungodly. They are words used to measure the greatness of Lincoln, Washington and all great Christian mothers. We all recognize their greatness; now, let us see about the humility that is the measure of that greatness. It was a very humble Lincoln who said: "I have endured a great deal of ridicule without much malice and I have received a great deal of kindness, not quite free from ridicule . . .If the good people., in their wisdom, shall see fit to keep me in the background, I have been too familiar with disappointments to be very much chagrined." That same humility stayed with Lincoln in his greatness to the very end. It was a very meek Washington who prayed: "Almighty God, we make our earnest prayer that Thou will keep the United States in Thy holy protection; that Thou will incline to the hearts of the citizens . . . to entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another and for their fellow citizens of the United States at large." Free of high-sounding words and phrases, that unstudied and simple prayer was from a very humble and sincere soul. Everyman, who remembers a Christian mother knows that no example need be given of her prayerful humbleness and humility, and her willingness to walk through "The Valley of the Shadow," for the perpetuation of the human race. When I look back in memory, through the Bible and the fading pages of history, and compare the failures of such men as Hitler with the success of such men as Lincoln; when I compare the success of Christ with the degradation of the infidel - I stand in awe before the passage in Matthew which says: "Whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." No man can be great unless he humbles himself before the Cross of the One who said: Take my yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart." Such humility in greatness may never be seen on this earth again. Source:www.libraries.wvu.edu/funkhouser/1954sz.html#42954

Christ Our Model in Humility by Dr. Robert D. Luginbill If we are serious about reforming our thinking, one of the patterns of thinking we need to put into place right from the start is that of humility. If we are to "imitate Christ" (1Cor.11:1) we must develop the same humble outlook Christ possessed. Pride, the placing of self before all other considerations, was the original sin of both Satan and Adam (Is.14:13-14; Gen.3:6). Pride, or arrogance, is the antithesis of the self-sacrifice of love and concern for others that is closely associated with the virtue of humility. Humility is a virtuous frame of mind which we are commanded to maintain, and our exemplar for this attitude is our Lord: You too should have this attitude which Christ Jesus had. Since he already existed in the very form of God, equality with God was not something He felt He had to grasp for. Nevertheless, He deprived Himself of His status and took on the form of a slave, born in the likeness of men. He humbled Himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, a death on the cross at that (Philippians 2:5-8) Paul's example of Christ's humble, loving sacrifice puts the daily slights endured by our own petty egos into perspective. While arrogance (according to its etymology) means to demand honors and considerations to which we have no right, Christ had every right to be treated as the deity He was. Yet in love, He freely offered Himself to become a slave for us and to die in our place. As Christians who espouse to follow our Lord, we must "think virtuously" as Christ did and maintain a perspective of humility. We may not be called upon to give our lives for others, but we should at least try to hold onto the perspective that Christ died for all others as well as for ourselves. If our Chief Shepherd laid down His life for our fellow believers, should we not at least treat them with tolerance and forgiveness? An attitude of service to others rather than a self-serving one is a necessary ingredient in the process of virtue thinking. Humility, then, is one of the virtues or attitudes that should characterize the thinking of the mature believer. An absence of humility or the presence of arrogance is a sure indication that one is not concentrating on principles of truth, not imitating Christ, and not thinking virtuously. Source:www.ichthys.com

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