1 Peter 5:5 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.
Romans 12:16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
I was thinking about humility this week and how it goes back to having an accurate self-image. We can fall of both sides of the self-image wagon:
- We of course can value ourselves too highly and lack the humility that we are called to as children of God.
- We can also be influenced by criticism and negative comments and forget that we are God’s child, made in His image.
Both of these tendencies either warp the meaning of humility or throw it out all together, both of which are distortions of our true value.
I was struck this week by the importance of our quiet time with God in keeping a healthy self-image. Our quiet times establish, before the world starts crowding in each day, three aspects of our existence:
Who God is – King and Lord over all
Who we are - a sinner
Who we are in God - a sinner saved by grace!
Conceit ignores who we are and a low self-image forgets who we are in God, but none of it matters at all if we forget who God is and what He has done.
A time alone with God each morning helps to set us straight before the day begins, and the challenge throughout the day is to not let others or ourselves to distort our understanding of ourselves throughout the day. This is how we can remain humble and yet fully confident, because we know that God always walks with us and that His Spirit lives in us!
What are your experiences fighting to remain humble and keep a right self-image?
What would you add to my comments based on your experiences?
Thanks for reading!
Mickey
Posted by Mickey Friedrich 
