Written by Corina Diaz, volunteer with Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Argentina.
Humility is a quality or value that allows us to recognize our limits and accept them, in this sense, it invites us to reflect on our ego and our true nature.
At one point in my life, I considered that humility had to do with humiliation and modesty before others, so I had a tendency to lower my self-esteem in order to maintain a humble attitude. However, when I realized that it is about another concept, perhaps a little more positive, then my perspective changed. Being humble is about being able to identify my abilities and us them in service to my neighbor. So, why do we have to hide what we do well to appear humble? This is not necessary, and Jesus gives us a clear example in Luke 9:46-48:
“An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest. Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him. Then he said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest.””
As I read this message from Jesus, I want to think about how a child thinks. Children do not lower their self-esteem to help others, on the contrary, they insist many times on helping. They also tend to accept the people around them without prejudice, and depending on their age, they do not know anything about ego, they simply give what they have to give and practice what they have learned. The disciples wondered who would be the greatest, perhaps thinking of wisdom or actions that they had accumulated over their time with Jesus, but what a surprise! Jesus Himself tells them that there is someone much greater than them, someone who does not know everything they know, but who is capable of approaching things with a mind free of prejudices and with the simple intention of learning: a child.
God does not have a scorecard for each one of us, but He is pleased with those who add their gifts in service to the Kingdom of God. Appreciating our own gifts and using them reveals an attitude of humility that only God can recognize in us. When we evaluate what we are capable of doing or not, we are preparing ourselves to serve in a better way, that is, to stop the pride of saving our qualities solely for our personal achievements. Rather, we allow Jesus to show us the best way to use them. Thus we become like a child who comes with a pure heart bringing what he has barely learned and wanting to allow it to be used without selfish intentions.