I’ve been tinkering with a definition of humility, and wonder if
it’s the
willingness and ability to patiently endure humiliation in the hope of a good
outcome eventually.
The person embarking on humility is certainly a lover, a
listener, and a learner — and their reward is to become one of the company of
the learned. The learned understand:
“It
is quite clear that between love and understanding there is a very close link. He who loves understands and he who
understands loves. One who feels
understood feels loved and one who loves feels sure of being understood.”
— Paul Tournier
(1898 – 1986)
Understanding is conducive to love. If we understand someone, we can love
them. If they feel understood, they can
love us. Yet if we choose to love,
understanding is sure more often than not to follow. And would it matter if it didn’t follow, if
we were committed to love? Such a love
finds its greatest contentment simply in pleasing God.
To please God is to live as the obedient — as best we can hope
for, within our brokenness. The Lord requires no perfection from us, except
for the perfect diligence of considered preparation.
“The Lord God has given Me
the tongue of those who are instructed
to know how to sustain the weary with a word.
He awakens Me each morning;
He awakens My ear to listen like those being instructed.”
the tongue of those who are instructed
to know how to sustain the weary with a word.
He awakens Me each morning;
He awakens My ear to listen like those being instructed.”
— Isaiah 50:4 (HCSB)
What better understanding is there than the one who understands
the Lord, and His Words? Such a person waits on God in the awakened seconds
of serenity that light up the morning.
(And if that’s not an accurate depiction of morning, set it as a goal to
attain, because otherwise you’re missing out.
Praise God you’re alive.) As we
wait, we’re given the Words, and those Words are a salve for the weary. But we must wait and then listen as those who
are instructed. Humility of surrender
must come first.
Those who wait learn to listen.
Those who listen learn to understand.
Those who love humility learn to love.
***
The learned person is one who sets
their aim on learning; as a person cannot fail in being instructed when we hold
fast to instruction. It’s the noblest
aim of the person who seeks first to understand rather than first seek to be
understood.
Loving, listening, and learning:
the life and hope of joy regale in these!
© 2016 Steve Wickham.
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