Merriam-Webster defines humility as “the quality or state of not thinking you are better than other people.” What a strange alien concept that is to this world anymore. Working for a public safety agency brings me into contact with people from across the spectrum of society. Some of them are employees, some are prisoners or criminals, some are elected officials, and some are members of the general public. I’d be a liar if I said I never saw someone say, “No that’s OK. You go ahead” or show some similar deference to another; the more egregious lie would be to say I witnessed such an act routinely. Instead, society is sadly becoming more and more self-centered, self-serving, and in the process self-defeating.
It seems that time-and-time again I’ve witnessed the unintended effects of an action are longer-lasting than the intended effect. In government a slight policy or process change result in an effect no one expects or is looking for. As a result it goes undetected for some time. When it’s finally discovered, the original cause is either forgotten or so entrenched that undoing the effect is difficult if not impossible. The point here is that our actions frequently produce results that are both unintended and more durable than what we sought.
Our lives are the same way. The more we work to gather honor and glory for ourselves, the less likely it is that we will truly get it. More likely is that we hurt people in our efforts. We leave a path of pain and hurt that eventually catches up to us. Like those changes mentioned above, we can find ourselves at a loss for why we are in that position. The book of Proverbs provides some interesting points on humility. It tells us:
- Pride brings disgrace and humility brings wisdom,
- Humility comes BEFORE honor, and
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- Fear of the Lord,
- Wealth,
- Honor, and
- Life
When we seek those things listed above directly (wealth, honor, and life), all we really end up attaining is our own distorted perception of them. I would encourage you to help someone else succeed next week. If you find yourself in line at a cash register, invite someone to move ahead of you right before you get to check out. Thank a truck driver for all they do to help keep our economy and goods moving.
Do something to put others first. You will be rewarded. The payoff from putting others first is an unintended positive payoff. It makes no sense that practicing humility will be so rewarding, but it is.
This article was first published on January 22, 2015 and was recovered using AI and web.archive.org.
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