Blessed are the humble, for they shall inherit the earth."
Matthew 5:5 (New Living Translation)
We are always believing that there is some secret plan, formula or product that can bring us the wholeness and happiness we seek.
I wake up every morning at 5:00 a.m. and turn on the television. Usually there is not much on except infomercials offering everything under the sun as the secret to a better life. There is the brazilian butt lift offering the gluts that will get you noticed by the other sex. There is the ultimate juicer that will allow you to concoct recipes as potent as the fountain of youth. There are a number of programs offering financial success through home business opportunities. The thing about all these infomercials is that they tell you just enough to get you to buy. They imply that once you buy, you will receive the secret formula you need for success.
But I have learned that there are really no secrets to life. We all inherently know the secret to weight loss: eat less. We all know to look better we need to exercise. We all know that financial success can only come through hard work and dedication. I'll say it right now, sprinkling Sensa on your ice cream will probably not help you to lose an ounce of weight. Drinking juice will not take away your aches and pains and most cures that come in capsule form not approved by the FDA are probably not good for much. Especially when after they show you the great bodies and testimonials of wealth, they provide a block of small print saying that the results seen in the infomercial are "not typical for all users."
When you get right down to it, there are no secrets to the healthy and fulfilled life. The answers are out there for us to plainly discover and put into practice in our lives. The products and shortcuts offered are merely distractions that stop us from finding and working at long term solutions. There are no secrets recipes or formulas that will give us the quick fixes we want.
Usually there is one answer that will work for us. Faith in God, common sense and humility. I think more blessings come from being humble than any other plans or secret formulas I have tried before. When I had my weight loss surgery, a part of me thought it would be a quick fix. They surgically create a smaller stomach, you eat less and you lose weight. The problem with that is that it is exactly the opposite. Restrictions, dietary planning, using supplemental vitamins, chewing every bite properly and swallowing carefully make what Jennifer Hudson is doing a walk in the park. When it came right down to it, I had to surrender my will to the system. For a control freal like me that was the hardest part. I had to admit I was powerless to succeed without following the post surgical plan laid forth by my doctors, dietician and other professionals. That took humility, and only when I did that I really began to succeed and move forward with my weight loss. 160 pounds later, I still find humility is the secret to success. Everytime I deviate even slightly from the system, I find myself in trouble.
I think a lot of us are afraid of humility because it is viewed by our culture as a weakness and not a virtue. Amamzing success stories in our culture always seem to come from people who are control freaks and type A personalities. But I have found that these types of successes are few and far between. Most successful people I know are humble and credit their achievement to hard work and doing the basics well.
The problem is that in our sinful nature we reject humility and strive for control, power and selfish ambition. More often than not these approaches cause us to fall short and wind up making us feel bitter and discouraged. Humility really means simplicity. When we surrender to doing the basics and trusting God to put us on the right path, that is when we begin to be truly blessed with success. Humulity is an attitude where we admit there is no secret but God and our response to his leading. People who practice humility steer clear of infomercials, power grabs and quick fixes and merely work at the basics.
The most important aspedct of humility is believing that following the leading of God is the key to every success. Sometimes it is that simple. We start a humble jouney with nothing more than belief in God's power to make a difference. Sometimes belief is all we really need. God will supply the rest.
Tertullian was a 2nd century theologian and leader in the early church who was constantly arguing with Christians who felt that there were secrets about God that had to be unlocked by special knowledge to be applied to life, They were called "gnostics" or those seeking knowledge.
Tertullian railed against these knowledge seekers by telling them that belief and faith are what we need...not knowledge. Tertullian argued that that once one has found out the truth of Christianity, one should abandon any further search for truth. He felt that the Christian who is seeking truth beyond faith actually lacks faith, He wrote, "You are to seek until you find, and once you have found you are to believe. Thereafter, all you have to do is hold to what you believe. Besides this, you are to believe that there is nothing further to believe, nor anything elsed to be sought."
That is humility. Believe and follow. Seek first the kingdom of God and what you need will be provided to you. Why is it so hard for us to accept this kind of humility? Tertullian is right. Simple belief brings humility and humility opens us up to the power and leading of God. Here are a few points about humility:
1. Humility is a strength not a weakness. Many say lead, follow or get out of the way. The humble follow and are blessed by where God takes them.
2. Humility means confidence. First in God...then in ourselves.
3. Humility brings virtue to our lives because it leads us away from selfishness and trying to control every situation in our lives. It also leads us away from trying to control the people around us.
4. Humility focuses our lives on the basic actions we need to take to be healthy and happy.
5. Humility leads us away from trying to concoct secret formulas or shortcuts to good living.
6. Humility blesses us because only when we are humble can God be in first position in our lives.
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