Wise Humility

For Thursday, July 7, 2005
Proverbs 11:2

When pride comes, then comes disgrace,
but with the humble is wisdom..

This proverb could have served as the slogan for Phil's sermon on Luke 14:7-11. The person, who out of pride, sits himself at the head of the table is disgraced when asked to take a lower seat; while the humble person ends up honored. It is interesting that the proverb connects humility with wisdom. It makes sense. Pride, by definition, is foolishness. Caught up in promoting himself before the eyes of others, the person with pride cannot see things as they really are. He misjudges how he appears to others; he is blind to others' virtues; he fails to comprehend what is of real value.

The humble person, on the other hand - because he is not caught up in himself - more clearly sees the real picture. If working with a team on a project, he is able to avail himself of the strengths of others, not worried about how he will be perceived. Sports is a good example. The teams that do best are the teams that implement the best teamwork, each player unselfish, more concerned with the goal of winning than of having the best personal statistics. That is wisdom.

Humility allows us to focus on what matters. It clears our minds so as to focus with clarity on the task at hand and in discerning the truth. All the more sense, then, in understanding why humility is essential in grasping the gospel, the most profound truth of all for us.