Encountering moments of truth is not always a pleasant experience. One such recent moment I was acting out of self-righteous hurt in a relatively private (i.e., safe) setting. Thankfully, the response of another person — or their lack of response — was enough for me to genuinely reflect and rethink my attitude and approach to a certain situation.
What a gift it was. But in turning or returning to God, in suffering the ‘shame’ of crucifying my flesh, there was the ugliness of not getting my own way. It never feels good at the time, but it is the right thing to do.
Here is a paradox — only as we face our self-righteous attitude and admit we’re wrong are we shown a better way, God’s wise way. Humility is the requirement of seeing truth. But when we choose to remain in the “I’m right, they’re wrong” attitude we remain self-justified and deluded — we have failed humility’s test. And worse, not only do we suffer, our relationships (others) suffer.
It takes humility to see where we are going wrong.
It’s a human trait to go wrong. To go wrong daily and even several times daily. It’s a human trait to be ruled by biases, to be deceived into thinking others need correcting and we, ourselves, are of noble intent.
A positive paradox occurs in the phenomenon of being humble enough to see where we’re wrong and where we can right our thinking and responding.
By and large, this is the Christian walk — getting the log out of our own eye and ensuring wrongs are reconciled and we’re making amends where we need to.
The humility of facing self reveals godly Christian character. It shows the capacity for insight, and just enough insight to take responsibility for what we are responsible for without taking responsibility for what others are responsible for — with an accepting empathy that each person has their responsibility and that none of us can be protected from the consequences of our own actions.
When two people have the capacity of humility to own their self-righteous wrong-going, there is such capacity for reconciling hurts and misunderstandings, even betrayals and more serious wrongs — if both have the humble ability to face and be honest with themselves.
That is our straightest motive — to win oneself over to the truth. Facing oneself is the simple work of humility.
Living for the glory of God alone has its beginning and is fulfilled in honouring the truth, doing justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly with our God (Micah 6:8).
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