CHARACTER COUNTS: Humility

In 1961 Nat King Cole recorded the song Nature Boy whose lyrics reach the conclusion that "The greatest thing you'll ever learn Is just to love and be loved in return."  

It’s easy to love when we’re loved in return; easy to love when it’s convenient, or when others are lovable. But a love that loves when it is not reciprocated, not  easy, or not convenient calls for a strong dose of humility.    

Love is a multifaceted human experience that can manifest in various forms. The components of love include connection, sharing, closeness and a conscious decision to maintain the relationship even when facing challenges. 

By the 1960s many came to believe that the word love predominantly indicated romantic or sexual love. The "Summer of Love" in 1967 is often associated with a generation embracing a counterculture movement focused on peace, love, and freedom, sometimes referred to as the "Love Generation."  This era saw a rejection of traditional societal norms and a shift towards personal freedom, self-expression, and communal living, fueled by music, art, and a desire for social change. All you need is Love by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, was a prominent theme. 

The Divine calls us to love and to model the same humility and unconditional love that the Divine gives to us gives without expectation of return.  This makes love a practice and not just an emotional  feeling.  It is an action that involves actively showing care, compassion, and support for others.  Often it requires effort, commitment, and a willingness to work through challenges.  It frequently involves acts of kindness, forgiveness, and empathy. We are to act with love because it is necessary,  not merely because it is easy or pleasurable. 

The Beatles taught that all you need is love, but there’s a shortage we must strive to remedy to be able to get to the place of this actionable love.  Actionable love requires humility and it seems there is a shortage of humility. 

With humility Love thrives, without it Love dies. Humanity should become a humble people who take action to meet the needs of ourselves and the others with which we become aware.  

Paul points to this kind of love in the biblical book of Philippians.  He first looks at motivation.

Philippians 2:1-2

1 If, then, there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2 make my joy complete by thinking the same way, having the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.

The ancient city of Philippi (left) is located in northeastern Greece, specifically in the region of East Macedonia and Thrace. The ancient city was a major center in the region, strategically situated on a key Roman road connecting Europe and Asia. It was founded by Thrasian colonists in the 4th century BC.  It was later renamed Philippi by Philip II of Macedon, the father of Alexander the Great. 

Paul told the Philippians to remain faithful even in the face of opposition and persecution. He laid the groundwork for his teaching on true humility.  

The if/then introduction of verse 1 is a single sentence in the Greek, a type of conditional sentence which assumes the stated premise is true. The four characteristics of the if/then clause are true in this instance because of the common faith Paul shared with the Philippians. He is pointing out that all these characteristics, the encouragement of faith, love and spiritual fellowship, affection and mercy together produce unity and humility. 

He refers to their Fellowship with the Spirit.  The Spirit of Deity within every believer is the source of the love and fellowship that believers have for one another. Paul then noted that since they all shared the same characteristics within Divine love, nothing would make him more joyful than seeing such unity and humility in Philippi.

The apostle identified the essence of unity – being like-minded, the sense of sharing common values and purpose. Such thinking involves the intellect, emotions, and will, which lead to a comprehensive attitude which is reflected in one’s actions.  Because of such unity those who have experienced the love of Divinity can and should demonstrate such love toward others. We should do so because we are united in the same spirit of and with Divinity.

After establishing the realities that produce unity and humility, Paul moves on to address attitudes and actions that flow out of those realities. 

Philippians 2:3-4

3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. 4 Everyone should look not to his own interests, but rather to the interests of others.

Ask yourself:  How do you usually feel and act when you consider yourself to be superior to someone else? For example, the stereo-typical dirty, slovenly bum.

Now ask yourself:  How do you usually feel and act when you consider someone to be superior to you?  For example a corporate boss, a great politician, a superstar celebrity?

Now ask yourself: How does it feel to see everyone around me as equally important, or even more important than myself?

Some in Philippi were sharing spiritual teachings out of selfish ambition, a term that before New Testament times appeared only in the writings of the Greek philosopher Aristotle.  He used it when he described those who selfishly sought political office in unfair ways. Here Paul used the term in the sense of having rivalries or self-seeking interests. Elsewhere the apostle used the term to describe those who pursued their own selfish interests rather than Divine ways. People with selfish ambition exhibit both a lack of humility and a divisive spirit.  You know, like congress.

The term conceit means “empty glory.” It describes a situation that compares seemingly different things.  For example a cat believing it is a lion, an empty headed, but popular, politician actually believing they can serve in leadership. It is someone claiming glory for himself that does not exist. It can involve either a vain, exaggerated view of oneself or vanity that comes from excessive ambition. 

Humility is the opposite of selfish ambition and conceit. It is having a correct estimation of oneself, particularly in relation to the Divine. Paul defined humility as considering the needs of others more important than oneself. It is a characteristic that spiritual people are to exhibit along with compassion, kindness, gentleness, and patience. Peter encouraged believers to clothe themselves in humility in relation to others. 

It is possible to demonstrate false humility in the pursuit of self-seeking purposes.  In first-century Greco-Roman culture, humility carried negative connotations and to many it still does. It was used to refer to members of the society who were viewed as being of little or no value—those seen as insignificant, weak, poor, and so forth. 

In Biblical Scripture, however, humility is a characteristic of Divinity.  It is through humility that one comes to an understanding of the Divine’s ways and gains wisdom. Jesus, who entered the world in a humble birth, taught His disciples to be humble and emphasized the need for an attitude of humble ministry. 

Jesus taught, Whatever you want others to do for you, do also the same for them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. These words, often known as the Golden Rule, are considered a guide for how to relate to others. But this does not entail self-neglect or self-loathing, putting oneself down—which would be false humility.  Rather, it is an "all things being equal, I defer to you" mentality.  Implicit in Jesus’s command to “love your neighbor as yourself” is the understanding that we treat ourselves in a healthy, reasonable manner. 

Perhaps the C.S. Lewis quote that humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less, is the best descriptor.  It entails looking out for the interest of others first, rather than only looking out for our own interests at all times. Balance is needed. Spiritual believers should not be so concerned with their own needs that they neglect or ignore the interests of others.

Since the attitudes and actions Paul exhorts believers to display are radical and counter-cultural, we need an example to follow. So he points us to the only one who displayed humility perfectly.

Philippians 2:5-11

5 Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus, 6 who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited. 7 Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity. And when he had come as a man, 8 he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death—even to death on a cross. 9 For this reason God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow—in heaven and on earth and under the earth—11 and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

The prime mission of the Biblical Jesus was salvation.  He offers salvation from this world and into the spiritual kingdom and he wants us to accept the gift he offers us; but is OUR choice.  Jesus also offers us an example by which to live.  He did NOT teach "example first and salvation second". Jesus did NOT set an example to strive for in order to "earn" salvation into the spiritual world, he demonstrated the method of living we are to seek AFTER we come to the realization that we ARE united with the Divine in the spiritual world.

Think of it like this, in the Christian tradition, the example that Jesus set is the process of “salvation”. We should follow it not to save ourselves, but because we are already offered spiritual awareness by the Divine.  Follow the example of Jesus both in mind and action when it comes to humility. Make sure it is a part of your character and your habitual behavior.  Where the First Testament (Torah) noted that David was said to be a man after God’s own heart, Jesus is a man who HAS God’s own heart.  

In the Christian tradition it would it have been for Jesus to grasp his divinity and wield it like a weapon to gain riches, or popularity, or power, or anything he wanted.  But how LIKE the Divine Jesus was when he remained humble, remained caring and loving, remained instructive and teaching, remained loving to the outcasts of society merely because they were a fellow society member.  Jesus displayed the humility of Divinity. 

Those who adopt a not my savior attitude, or who reject the concept of spiritual awareness in any form, will continue to experience a perceived separation from the Divine, but it is by their own choice. Is there a correct path to the divine? Each faith has their own perceptions and I have my own belief, but the reality is that the Divine has provided exemplars in the lives of humanity.  The question is, does the exemplar that you choose to follow draw you closer to the Divine, or merely substitute some other human's or some malevolent spiritual entity's principles, protocols and precepts for one that unmistakably helps to teach humanity who to be more like the Divine.  This is defined as the Christ consciousness: an awakened, divine state of being characterized by unconditional love, unity, and profound wisdom, transcending the ego to realize one's innate connection to the divine, much like the spiritual realization that Jesus experienced, lived, taught and demonstrated.  It is the pinnacle of human spiritual and emotional development, a state of perfection and harmony with the Divine Mind.

Can you reject the concept of spiritual awareness and live in this world.  For a time, but you must choose to be one with the Divine Mind, meaning that you choose to not imagine yourself separated from the Divine and that you actively desire and choose to learn how to become ever better at it.

Or you can always choose isolation from the Divine and live with only yourself in an ever degenerating environment.  In the vernacular of the modern era – FAFO, FOOL Around and Find Out.  

Ultimately every creature in the universe will acknowledge the Divine whether they accept that reality or not.