Humility

We had a fantastic sermon Sunday at Freedom Family Church and I feel led to share some of the notes I took away since I've been talking about true beauty on here lately.

The bible states that the "basics" God asks of us are:

1. That we seek justice (treat others with fairness and equality)
2. That we love mercy (choosing to NOT give people what they deserve sometimes)
3. That we walk HUMBLY with our God

The whole humbly thing stepped on my toes a little bit especially when I got to thinking about pride.

See humility means to think of yourself less.  It's not saying to think less of yourself.

Think of yourself less.

And that's when it hit me...

If you look in the mirror and the first thing you see is your flaws, you are too prideful to see past them.  When you look in the mirror, you shouldn't be able to immediately point out all the things you hate about yourself.  Get over yourself.  Don't put yourself down - that is not humility.

I have a tendency of picking myself apart in my photos on this blog.  Ones I share and ones that I end up deciding not to share for whatever reason.  I see all the small "flaws" or "imperfections" that other people can't see.  In fact, some of the things I think are flaws, other people love.

Some people think that humility is thinking less of yourself.  So we constantly tell ourselves that we aren't good enough, we aren't pretty enough, and we are failures.  That is not humility.  The devil puts us down enough - we need to stop doing it to ourselves!  We need to stop adding fuel to the fire.

At first, I would do this.  I would constantly try to do things to make up for all the ways I fail God every day and finally I realized I can't make up for it.  No matter what I do, I don't deserve this life or eternal life, but by His grace, I have received it.  For that I am grateful.

Putting yourself down is not pleasing to God.  In fact, it is just as dis-pleasing as constantly bragging on yourself and boasting about how great you are.  We need to, instead, be happy with the body He provided us, treat it like the temple that it is, and humbly use it in whatever way best serves Him.

Humility doesn't mean I make myself a doormat and allow other people to walk all over me.  For a while I let that happen until I realized humility doesn't mean that I should feel worthless or lesser than another person.  No one deserves to be abused, but it does mean that I put others first when they deserve it.

"But he gives us even more grace to stand up against such evil desires.  As the Scriptures say, 'God opposes the proud but favors the humble.'" James 4:6

Scarf: me, Tank: Old Navy, Skirt: me, Watch: Silpada

So when I look at this picture I refuse to look at my flaws and what I dislike about it.

Instead, I will embrace (with humility) the wonderful way in which the Lord made me.

I encourage you to stop picking yourself apart, stop looking in the mirror and comparing yourself to others.  Just stop it.  It doesn't make you feel good and it is not healthy.

Instead, be joyful in who you are and what you have.