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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.
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Written by Michelle J. Goff
Naomi and Felicity were twin sisters—fraternal twins, not identical ones. Like the meaning of their names, Naomi was pleasant, and Felicity was happy. They shared many things in common and often had parallel experiences even though they were in different classes at school. They lived through good times and hard times growing up. And then, they were both young professionals in search of a job…
Felicity sent out her resume, called to follow up with the companies, and was able to schedule four interviews for the following week.
Naomi sent out her resume, called to follow up with the companies, and was able to schedule three interviews for the following week.
Felicity was happy for her sister.
Naomi felt jealous that her sister scheduled one more interview than she did. Her attitude began to sour.
The week of the interviews arrived…
Felicity chose to wear something she already owned. Naomi felt discontent with her wardrobe. With no time to shop for a new outfit before the first interview, and no money to buy anything anyway, Naomi muttered under her breath as she complained aloud that she had nothing to wear.
Felicity spilled coffee on her shirt, feeling nervous about two interviews on the same day. Grateful that it happened before she left the house, she quickly changes her shirt and runs out the door, grabbing a scarf in case she had another spill later.
Naomi was equally nervous, but her attitude had her focused on lamenting that she only had one interview that day. On an emotional roller coaster, she secretly smiled knowing that she wasn’t the one to spill coffee like her sister did. Yet she frowned in the mirror bemoaning the rumpled clothes she already hadn’t wanted to wear. The clothes had gotten wrinkled after a frantic search for her keys in every nook and cranny of the apartment. Agitated and very late, Naomi finally found her keys and ran out the door, feeling defeated. She assumed that the interview was already a lost cause.
Both girls arrived at their respective interviews and, before I proceed with the story, I invite you to pause with me in order to reflect on a few questions:
How were the two girls the same? How were they different?
What about their attitudes?
As soon as this illustration started, we could’ve renamed Naomi Mara, which means bitter. You may be familiar with that name from Ruth’s mother-in-law in the book of Ruth. Upon their return to Bethlehem, Naomi asked that she be called Mara. Tragic circumstances had left her feeling forgotten, pained, alone, and forsaken. “I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty” (Ruth 1:21). Mara felt a shell of her formerly pleasant self.
In Ruth chapters 2-4, we see Naomi’s attitude begin to change as she recognizes God’s provision and care. She has begun to look to God again and to trust in Him. Since attitude determines the direction we are headed, we have the choice to spiral down or look up.
Back to Felicity and Naomi… Based solely on their attitudes, how do you think the interviews went?
Since this is a completely made-up story for illustration purposes, I am going to allow you to fill in the blanks and imagine how the rest of the story goes. As you play out the scene using your imagination, here are a few important things to keep in mind.
• Our moods shift with the circumstances. Attitude is a choice.
• At any point in a situation, we can choose to change our attitude and positively affect the outcome, especially our response to the outcome.
• God is bigger than any situation or circumstance. He is powerful to redeem and gracious to forgive.
• When we remember that attitude is not dependent on our circumstances, we can choose a good attitude during difficult times.
• The best attitude is one that looks to God, thus allowing us to see Him beyond our circumstances.
How is your attitude today? Are you allowing your mood or your circumstances to dictate how the rest of your day goes? Or are you choosing an attitude that looks to and trusts in God? How can we encourage an Iron Rose Sister in her attitude without dismissing her difficult circumstances?