Day 11: Humility

I was unsure about writing on Sunday since I am not walking on Sunday, but one of the things I said in my first post, is that I believe this is a journey of the mind and spirit as much as a journey of the body.

With that in mind, I would like to share what I read this morning.

In Ether 28:27 is states: “And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.”

There is a lot to learn from this scripture, but what jumped out at me was the cause and effect in the scripture.

A Sunday school lesson a long time ago, taught the scriptures was full of cause and effect. The Lord says “do this and I will bless you with this.” The cause is us obeying God in whatever He asks of us and the effect is the blessing He has promised us.

For some reason, this thinking appeals to me.

In Ether 28:27, the cause is us humbling ourselves before God “...for if they humble themselves before me”, but there is more to than just humility. You need faith also, “...and have faith in me,”

So, our job is to humble ourselves before God and to have faith in Him.

The effect is God making weak things strong, “…then will I make weak things become strong unto them.”

I don’t pretend to know how God can make weak things strong – is it a physical strength, a spiritual strength, or a mental strength? Does God take our weaknesses away to replace them with strength? Or does He use our weaknesses in a way that we can’t imagine and therefore it becomes a strength?

I have a tendency to focus on the blessing – what is it that I get if I obey? How exactly does this blessing work? I need to focus on my part, in this case, the humility and faith.

Yet I struggle with the humility. If I told you I had faith in spades than I am no longer being humble and probably setting myself up for a huge fall (spiritually that is).  If I told you that I am a pretty humble person than everyone pretty much knows that I am not really humble. I mean, humble people do not go around tooting their own horn.

And there is a difference between false humility and real humility. False humility is someone who secretly believes they are the best (or the coolest), but says or does thing that they hope makes them sound or look humble. False humility is the person who is pleased with a compliment, but does everything to deflect the compliment.

I struggle with false humility. I am sure a lot of other people do too (to think otherwise would then place me in a different category of the fake martyr). I struggle with real humility as well. I struggle to take a compliment for my accomplishments, yet have a ribbon full of note cards & letters with people thanking me for what I have done.

Now honestly, I do not keep the thank you notes to puff myself up, but as a reminder that I can make a difference. When I was a young mom, I struggled with motherhood – post partum depression will do that to a gal. I actually hated being a mother for awhile (are you even allowed to admit that when you still have children at home?). I did not understand the articles I would read by other women saying how becoming a mother changed them for the better. I just didn’t get it. I was angry and sad all the time. My child cried all the time.

One day in the mail, on a particularly hard day, a note arrived reminding me that I was loved by Heavenly Father and I was a good mother. I read that note a lot. It was my first note on the ribbon. It got me through 3 post partum depressions (along with a few other things).

When I “woke up” for that last time from PPD, I wanted to help others the way I was helped. I am not good at seeing opportunities (this is not false humility, but an honest assessment of my own failing). It surprised me (still does) when I started getting thank you notes for little things that I did. I know have a ribbon full of thank you notes and hopefully I have continued to use my talents to help others. Now I also use the note cards as a reminder to say thank you.

Gratitude is very closely related to humility. I can accept a compliment with graciousness and still be humble. Humble is not deflecting or degrading our accomplishments or our efforts. It is being thankful that we have the ability to help others. It is showing gratitude for the blessings that we have been given. It is using our time and talents to help those around us. Why? Because it shows, through action, that we are thankful for the gifts God has bestowed upon him. Every gift can be used for good or evil or selfishness, but when we use those gifts for good and in love, we are being humble.

I don’t bake bread for someone because I think I am the best bread maker around or because I think my bread is going to cheer them up, I do it because it is something I am capable of doing and it shows those that I visit with and interact with that I care for them…and that God cares for them.

And, I have a feeling, if I concentrate my efforts on being humble before God and having faith in Him, then the  blessing of taking my weaknesses and turning them into a strength will be taken care of…with no thought or help from me.

Side note: I read the scripture to Steve and he basically said he believes God gives us opportunities to overcome and/or use our weaknesses. And through the many tests and trials those weaknesses become strong, much like using a muscle. Hmm…interesting thought.