being humble, choose to give in, exaltation, respect, suffer in silence, value, value other people,
If we were all asked, certainly many of us would consider ourselves humble people. Very few would admit to being proud or even arrogant. But, are we truly? During our Women’s Meeting on Sunday, we looked into what it truly meant to be humble. Many often think of being humble as being meek, having a humble background, being modest or even accepting ill-treatment from others, but being humble is not being ill-treated and is a lot broader than many think.
Humbleness precedes exaltation
To explain what humbleness is, we would like you to imagine jumping. If you want to jump, you first have to bend. And, the lower you bend, the higher you can jump. That is what humbleness does; it precedes exaltation. If you want to be a person who is highly esteemed by people, you need to humble yourself, the key word being ‘yourself’. Many endure being humbled by others or their situation in life, but this is not the kind of humbleness that will lead you to be exalted by others. The humbleness that is most valuable is when you have an opportunity to exalt yourself, but you choose to give in. However, humbleness should not be confused with humiliation, which means being shamed or dishonoured.
Examples of humbling yourself
How exactly can you humble yourself? It is simpler than you think. It is when you choose to value other people more than yourself. When you give in during an argument, even though you know you are right; when you choose to allow others to shine, when you know you can easily outshine them; when you choose to bite your tongue, when you know your harsh words could easily disarm the person you are arguing with; when you choose not to suffer in silence and try to be self-sufficient and seek help from others when you need it.
Those who choose to humble themselves prove that they value their own and the wellbeing of their relationships more than they value being right or getting their own way. And, it is this value that they place in their relationships that makes them highly exalted or esteemed. People who are humble make others around them feel good and important. And, who wants to dispense someone who makes them feel important?
Many times we think that to be respected and stand our ground, we need to impose our opinions and ourselves on others, so that they know not to cross us. But, during our meeting, we could understand that esteem and respect are earned and inspired in others. When someone gives you their respect voluntarily, it has much more value.
Unlike what many think, that choosing to humble will cause you to lose, we see that it will in fact lead you to enjoy relationships that are richer and more valuable. So, next time you have to bite your tongue, for example, think of it as the bend you have to give before jumping. After that, exaltation and justification will come.
Mrs Claudia Brito
Post a Comment