humility(6/0)
Catholic devotion to the blessed virgin
Protestants are uncomfortable about several doctrines of the Catholic Church and even willing to renounce the entire organization as heretical. The way that Mary, and to a lesser extent any saint, is spoken of has been most uncomfortable in my experience. The language used for the Blessed Virgin often matches biblical language used to describe Jesus. The sum result is that most Protestants believe the Catholic Church holds Mary in equal standing with Jesus, as though they’re two divinely equal beings.…
Pride strikes at the pinnacle of success
If pride were a snake, it would live on the mountaintop. When you receive a generous promotion, make a major sale, garner work accolades for a critical project; these are times when pride comes near to kill. There’s little time to bask in one’s self-sufficiency on the climb up. Pitfalls hide on both sides, the peak is still distant, the possibility of success tentative. At the exhilarating finish, the temptation to rely on yourself and to boast in your achievement is high, and there is little protection from your environment.…
Freedom from comparison produces humility
💬 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. Galatians 5:25-26 (ESV) Paul writes vigorously before these two verses to persuade the Galatians to disown the teachers of the Law that have been diverting their attention away from Paul’s core teachings. Instead of a life of freedom in the Spirit as Paul taught, the Law teachers were focusing the Galatians' attention on obedience to the Law apart from faith.…
Ask questions from a humble heart
Questions are powerful when asked with the right heart. What about questions is more powerful than answers? Questions lead the person questioned on a journey to find an answer ((Marquardt, pg. 84)). The questioner holds the power to send the person questioned on a fruitful journey, or they may send him on a fruitless journey. The questioner may inject their own pathway into the question itself. If the questioner does so, he limits the person questioned from finding his own way and may result in no new destination at all.…
Humility excels confidence
The long road of humility is better than the proud confidence our society esteems. Who doesn’t want to be confident? To never doubt that one has made the right choices; focused on the highest priorities. To be self-assured in one’s own ability; to face all problems with certainty of success. Confidence is heralded as a very great virtue; in business, sports, government and society the confident are highly esteemed. “They are confident because they are equipped, they are prepared, they are ready for challenges.…
Leaders focus on strengths
Humble leaders spend considerable time observing and considering their people’s strengths. There is constant temptation to hide one’s weaknesses, and all the more as a leader. We want to bury our weaknesses until we can make them better; until we no longer feel incompetent around others who excel. The more important we view ourselves, the more pressing the need to be perfect in every area. This is in direct conflict with the beautiful and necessary characteristic of humility in leadership.…