I know that the word humble can be a hard one to grasp.
First of all, it has nothing to do with being humiliated or feeling humiliated.
It is about identity and living out of it.
It is knowing who Jesus is and knowing who you are in Him:
He is your Savior, redeemer, creator, all-powerful God.
He is your guide, strength, hope, and peace.
He is the great I AM and has unlimited power and reach.
Jesus is the greatest in heaven and made himself the least on earth. Not because He had forgotten who He was but because He knew with full confidence who He was.
In the first three chapters of Ephesians after encouraging the church in Ephesus to live out of their new identity in Christ, He tells them:
“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”
Ephesians 4:2 NIV
Being humble means you can lead others without being bossy.
Being humble means that you can be happy and content when you are not in control.
Being gentle means that you have unclinched your hands from steering the direction of your life and have let Jesus take the lead.
Being patient means bearing with those who don’t deserve your patience and loving people who are not easy to love.
This is about the little things that can undo our composure: the unexpected phone calls, the interruptions that add or postpone your to-do list, the change of plans because some people are unorganized.
These are the moments when being humble matters the most.
There are moments when being gentle makes all the difference.
These are the moments when others will recognize that the patience you are extending to them is not natural but God-given.
These are the moments Jesus shines bright through you.
May you so confidently know who you are in Christ that you are able to gracefully engage with all that challenges you today.
