Authentic Humility

O.K., here’s a tough one for you…

If you were to come into a bunch of money, would the people who know you be genuinely happy for you?

…or this one…

If you were to be honored with an award, like “Employer of the Year,” would your employees be glad? Would they happily tell their friends about you?

...more close to home…

If you were picked as your town’s “best dad”, would your children be genuinely smiling? “High-fiving” each other? Warm in their hearts that others had recognized their awesome Dad?

When I’m asked what a mature believer looks like, one of the first words that pops into my head is humility. Not false humility. But the real deal. The kind you can’t fake.

Where does that kind of humility come from?

From a deep-seeded belief that God is the source of your success…ALL your success. Humble men believe that whatever they’re being praised for wouldn't be if it weren't for Him. Either His hand in the events and circumstances, His hand in building Godly character…whatever the good in them, it’s from Him.

And if you really stop and think about what you’d be without Him, it’s not a stretch to give Him the credit. He either changed you or protected you. All by yourself, you’d be a lot less than you are with Him living inside you.

One of my favorite proverbs (23:7) says “As he thinketh in his heart, so is he.” If you truly “think in your heart” that you deserve the credit…that it’s really your tenacity, your brains, your personality...that’s making you successful, then you will never be humble. It’s only when you come to realize that it’s God, not you, that makes everything happen. He is the Creator of your success. He can end it in a heartbeat or by allowing your heart to stop its beat.

Only with this realization will you be able to gain true humility.
So, whenever praise comes your way, say “thank you,” since it’s rude to reject someone’s kind words.
But look for a way to immediately deflect the credit to the One who really deserves it.

“The crucible is for silver, the furnace is for gold, and a righteous man is tested by his praise” Proverbs 27:21

Question: Are you authentically humble? Do you truly believe that all your success comes from God?