Daily Meditation: Monday, October 4, 2010

Humility - and pride

10/04/2010

Those who act in a servile manner towards the mighty of this world, because they feel poor, weak and defenceless compared with them, are usually seen as humble. But when someone wants to fulfil Jesus' commandment, 'Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect', or to work for the coming of the kingdom of God on earth, people exclaim, 'How conceited! Who do they think they are?' Well, both attitudes are wrong. People are not humble just because they bow down before the rich and the powerful; give them a large sum of money or a high-ranking position, and see whether they are humble then! And if they are suddenly faced with a great ordeal, see whether they humble themselves before the Lord! There are many who rebel against God at the slightest difficulty or even deny his existence! True humility does not mean bowing before power or money but being able to say, as Jesus did in the garden of Gethsemane, 'Father, not my will, but yours, be done.'