Hey, Sweet Things! I am back to my desk for the first time in almost a week and a half! It was called “Time Off” and I savored it like I do the last foamy sip of a grande dry cappuccino while I’m patting on the bottom of the cup. At first I was just going to stay home for the whole week since Keith couldn’t leave town right then and neither could my main running buddies, AJ and Melissa. Then, my coworkers, Sabrina and K-Mac, conspired on some possible flight arrangements, hotels and even show times if I were willing to take a jaunt to New York City. Last Tuesday, I mentioned it almost in passing to Keith and Lis and both of them said, “GO!!!!” So, I did! I couldn’t even believe it myself. I had plenty of frequent flier miles so the flight didn’t cost one red cent. I called a friend whose daughter happened to be at church camp and she was able to drop her schedule like a hot potato and meet me there. We landed within an hour of one another on Thursday afternoon and hit the ground running. I bet we walked 12 miles in Central Park over our 3 day/2 night stay and talked a hundred miles an hour. It was such an immense treat.
THEN, I flew home on Saturday evening in time to spend the last few days of my vacation with my family. We had our Bayou City Fellowship core-group church service Sunday evening (we open to the public September 11th!!! So exciting!) THEN the biggest thing of all happened: JACKSON STARTED KINDERGARTEN YESTERDAY. Amanda and I had planned for the last several weeks to spend that day together so I headed over yesterday morning and stayed until he got home from school. We made memories that I will treasure in my heart forever and replay in my mind about a zillion times. I am not going to go overboard on it right now because I’m hoping AJ will send me some pictures so I can share them with you. If you’re like me, you don’t just want to hear about a big occasion. You want to see it. SO, hopefully I’ll be able to pitch you a few pictures really soon.
OK, so change tracks with me because I’d love to hear from you about a subject. I’ve been thinking about what a gift a fresh humbling can be. Needless to say, I don’t like one any more than you do. In fact, I can’t think of many things I like less but, if we’re Biblical thinkers, we can have a whole different perspective when a humbling comes. In fact, if we really assimilated what the Scriptures say about it into our belief systems, we wouldn’t wait to be humbled. We’d go right ahead and humble ourselves as fast as we could. Why? Well, for starters…
Luke 1:48 says that God is mindful of the humble state of His servant, so we’re especially full in His mind in our humble condition.
Matthew 11:29 says that Jesus was humble in heart so, with fresh humility, we’re vastly more reflective of the Savior. And, at the end of the day, that’s what we’re doing here.
1 Peter 5:5 says that God opposes the proud but He gives grace to the humble, so, fresh humility not only puts us on the same side of the situation as God (note to self: never a good idea to invite God to oppose you), it also drops open the invisible hatch over our heads till we’re buried alive in grace.
1 Peter 5:6 tells us to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God and trust that He will exalt us at the proper time. Of course, seeking to humble ourselves so that we’ll be exalted is just pride playing dress-ups but here’s the bright side of the proper vantage point: Sometimes when God humbles us, it’s because He is preparing to exalt His Name through us in some elevated capacity. “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 14:11)
So, I was just wondering: When was the last time God really humbled you? Second question: Has enough time passed for you to get some insight from Him regarding His purpose for it? If so, let’s hear it. Limit your responses to a good, meaty paragraph so we can read as many of them as possible.
I’ve missed hearing from you! Testify, Girlfriends! You are so loved and appreciated here.
Humility. We just had the week 9 Lesson from Beth’s Living Beyond Yourself study which is over Gentleness/Humility. God taught me a big lesson on Humility at the beginning of this summer. This last year I have been a facilitator/leader for the women’s ministry at our church. I was co-leading with another sister in Christ who is at a very different stage of life than I. I am currently 25, no children and married for 3 years. She is in her 60’s retired and has grandchildren. Very different life stages. At one of our weekly coffee meetings we had before that week’s study session she pointed out something in me that she thought was a concern or a stumbling block. Now, I have had things pointed out in me before by other women who I may or may not have been very close to. I have never taken what they told me so wrongly as how I took what my co-leader told me. We ended up in a pretty big fight which left us in tears before work that day. Over the next week I learned that it wasn’t necessarily what was pointed out in me, but that I had been harboring some past injuries that ended up creating hardness towards my co-leader. When she pointed out a stumbling block it lead to that injury which had never healed being cut wide open. After realizing this, I humbly asked for her forgiveness over my reaction and humbled myself so that God would allow healing of the old wound. I also realized that my part in all of that had been ignoring God’s promptings several times in our coffee meetings to approach that subject with her. God had provided me several openings to explain to her that I had been feeling held back in our partnership because of the age difference which was perceived by her as an opportunity to teach “at me” rather than a learning with me.. Several times comments had been made about how young I was that throughout our partnership had caused my old wound to fester and become sore again. Humbly asking for forgiveness for my reaction, bowing down to God and asking him for healing and growth this summer has been one of the best things I have done. Getting out of God’s way and humbling myself to His Will. Having been a believer since I was 7 it has become easy to get casually familiar with my faith. God is showing me that there is still so much he wants me to lose of myself so he can fill me up. If only I will humble myself.
Humility take 2:
I just thought of another instance of humility in my life. Last night while at one of Beth’s video studies my church is facilitating God placed it on my heart that I have been very prideful about an aspect of my relationship with my husband. For nearly 2 month’s now, i have refused to ask my husband for prayer, or to pray with me because I have held up a notion that a Godly husband should automatically know to pray with His wife. I shouldn’t have to ask him to pray with me because he should want to do it. The truth is, it was creating a great amount of hardness in my heart such that even during my own quiet times I was having a hard time praying for him. I explained this to him. I told him how important it is to me that we pray together but that it is also important to me that I not feel as though I am forcing him to pray with me. I don’t want to become a “nagging” wife after all. Well, after humbly asking his appologies for not lifting him up, we “pinky promised” to pray together. I fully intend to offer him my pinky prayer tonight if he forgets so that we can pray for tomorrow….no pride holding me back.
Sorry to post an off-topic comment, but I am thrilled to find out that Beth will be coming to our city, Reading PA in Sept. 2012. Thanks to all who were involved in the scheduling.
It will be a blessing for the women in our area of the country.
1.) I was getting pretty proud of myself for losing 80 pds & becoming a danged great Zumba instructor. It was my life. My identity. And then……God humbled me HUGELY. My body crashed and burned from the physical intensity & obsession. I went into massive menorrhagia that treatment hasn’t helped. I had no choice but to stop most of the teaching. It was drastic for me be stripped of what had become my identity. But I learned and saw how comfortable I’ve gotten with success in this world. I realized how GOOD it is to have nothing but Jesus to say about myself.
2.) Just in the last few weeks I’m being asked to speak at/be involved in several large events about the importance of getting healthy being a journey that can’t be done outside of The Spirit. I’m even being offered some higher positions of influence in 1.) ministry and 2.) the secular Zumba world. I may have cancer and not get to do either. But that’s okay. I live for my King. Period. Cancer will not stop me. Nothing will. All I know is this weekend I’m flying myself to LPL Utah & basking in His presence. Jesus and I have a hot date amongst the thousands of women who’ll be there. Just us. And I’ll take the next step from there. It’s only a good ride when HE drives instead of me! Some cute blonde who shares my name said that once upon a time. It’s sticking!
Elisabeth –
When I see your face I think “Via Brownies” –ever since the recipe exchange! 🙂
Didn’t know you faced these struggles and may be facing other things. Now I can pray with confidence for you as I pass every single Starbucks in our area!
May your hot date with Jesus be life-changing! You crack me up. Blessings, Healing, Love to you!
Praying, Siestah.
I’ve seen your darling face on the blog a few times. Praying for you and ultimate healing. I’m so glad you are getting to Utah! I can imagine God is looking forward to having time with you too. Enjoy!
My life the past 3 years has been lesson after lesson in humility. Honestly, prior to 3 years ago, I had (or so I had thought) made something of myself, I had everything I could imagine material wise…excellent job of 10.5 years, plenty of “things” and savings & retirement taboot. One by one, everything vanished just as quickly as I recieved it. Looking back, I see that I rarely did anything for anyone but myself, and if I did, it was difficult to bear. At long last I have little, but I love more, give more, and serve more. I always think I could have learned the lessons a different way (haa haa), but I am grateful for the ability & desire to trust in Him now rather than myself. I tend to feel more shame than humility that I am not where I think I should be; but, I know He’s got me, and I care much less now.
I guess the last time was over two years ago I lost my job and the insight has been- as devastating as it was the blessings that have come since then are too many to count…there were alot of hard changes that came with it but my family is in a much better place because of it! and only by the grace of GOD I was employed again in a week 🙂
I’m in the midst of listening to So Long, Insecurity on CD as I drive to and from work (amounts to about 2hrs on the road everyday). I’ve just about gone off the road a couple of times upon hearing the EXACT description of myself and my insecurities! Really.
Between the GIFT of that crystal clear truth-telling and the more-than-full-time hours at work that I’ve needed for the summer, God is humbling me through evidence upon evidence that He IS tending to my deepest needs. He’s faithfully stripping away the reasons and excuses for weak faith. I love how He esteems a humble heart. It’s the only appropriate attitude.
I’m anticipating a very humbling experience when we gather for our Siesta Scripture Memory “meeting” and I’m not able to remember any verses beyond the last two weeks!! At least I’m carrying the written word around with me until then!!
jcp
You’ll do fine sister!! We all get nervous saying them aloud to someone else. Do you have someone you can “practice” on outloud?
I had decided that I was done with my marriage and confronted my husband – I saw a lawyer found out what it cost and what I had to do to get out!! I was so far down in a pit of despair that my friends were concerned that I would just lose my mind to escape the pain.. but each morning when I woke I heard singing soft like a whisper-“beauty from ashes- I will make beauty from ashes” – yes in my head and no I was not even awake yet- .. I wanted none of it .. I was determined to do what I want.. hadn’t I suffered enough and when I prayed I would list all the things that had brought me to this place.. and each morning God would gently reassure me. My husband finally did the one last thing that I couldn’t take and as he was apologizing to me I looked him in the eyes and said -you can not apologize enough for all you have done- I wanted him to list it all out too! but what came out of my mouth was -“we need help I want to see a Christian counsellor”.. he had refused so many times before ..but not this time.. and guess what God is doing- humbling 2 hearts ..teaching a stubborn woman to trust Him and really mean it this time…and re-forging a marriage bond and making beauty from ashes….
I was very concerned about a situation that involved my pastor. After trying to discuss it with him, my husband and I decided to talk with an elder to get another perspective. Long story short, wayyyy too many people ended up getting involved & even though I felt my heart was in the right place, I wish I could have a re-do. I would have gone to much greater lengths to resolve it with him before involving anyone else.
Lesson Learned. Thankfully, Pastor & I are still good friends. So humbling.
One verse keeps bringing me back to humility.
1 Corinthians 8:2 (NIV)…but keep reading. Verse 3 brings the joy!
Humbling where do I begin. There have been many events recently that have been humbling. I don’t know if you will remember this but my youngest was very ill at Christmas time last year. It meant PICU, emergency room, and a helicopter ride. Well that led to large medical bills which has led to a financial situation that is not fun. Then more along that line with kids in college, loans, etc. Then just this week a new bible study is getting ready to start up soon,the one I so wanted to co lead it with my hubby( who is the Pastor of our church),will be lead by two other couples. I know they don’t sound related but they all are. I get so mixed up in my own self importance sometime that I tend to judges others in ways I have no business doing. The ugly truth is I want to be important by being in a position that no one else is. I know that God is the only one who makes me a somebody worth something not what I do. I also just need to get over myself. I can not be a part of everything,or in the know all time. The world does not revolve around me. If you talked with me you would not get the sense that I was so prideful. The reality is I am pretty insecure at time and that is the root of the pride mentioned above. You asked for honest so there it is as hard as it is to admit it is the truth of the mater. I am so glad that God does not give up on us. That He does in fact give us opportunities to grow. I am also grateful for the additional chances He give us.
Have a very blessed week
I TOTALLY understand what you’re saying because I struggle with “importance” issues too. May we both keep that under the blood of Jesus so we don’t have to be humbled too many times! 🙂
I have worked very hard at my job the last two years. For different reasons, this hard work hasn’t been recognized. My feelings have been hurt several times, and it has been a struggle for me. Recently, my supervisor asked me to be sure to come to a big meeting. This was out of character for her. In my mind I thought that the reason was because they were going to finally recognize my hard work. The meeting honored others but not me. The lesson for me was that I go to work every day to honor God. He knows, He cares, and He determines my reward.
Hi Beth!
Glad you were able to take a break to N.Y.
You ask for some humbling experiences. I’ve been seperated since October of 2010 after 36 years of marriage. We have a 28 acre farm. I needed a summer job so I worked at a Christian Kids Summer camp. I was a “floater” and sometimes nurse. I tried to keep up with the 20 year old councelors. Ha! I don’t have your energy. It was quite humbling. You work 6 day a week from sun up till after setting. I had to move several times to different cabins which was fun trying to remember where the bathroom was in the middle of the dark night. While I sometimes felt like a failure the counselors said I was very helpful sharing how Christ has/is working in my life. After camp I felt the Lord tell me it would be ok to take a vacation alone to Maine where my husband and I went many times. It is a 15 hr. drive. I was use to a very nice camper with all the luxuries. This time I borrowed a tent and a little cook stove. At summer camp I learned how to make a camp fire which was helpful. This time in the middle of the night I had to unzip the tent and walk to the bathroom.
While at summer camp I focused on your Insecuries book and work book. I think the Lord is using this time of few belongings and temporary dwellings(my sister and her husband are letting me stay with them in Pa.)to humble me to think of others and not judge/critize. He is teaching me how much He loves me and wants me to trust him with my future/securities. He also is teaching me I am not god and can not control what others do.
I wonder what is next? Earthquake back home yesterday and a hurricane on the way. I’m not back “home” at my sister’s yet(leave Maine tomorrow) and my sister-in-law is asking me to come help her with her sick husband in Md. I need a job as mine is a substitute teacher assistant and that is not enough to live on.
So I will trust God to love me and send me where he has for me how ever humbling it may be because he is everywhere he sends me. Even the bathroom at night. Ha!
Lorie Leahy
I had a humbling moment just yesterday. My best friend was telling me how in 6 weeks her husband doesn’t have a job unless some work comes in. He is a pipe fitter in construction. It hit me like a ton of bricks when I realized that my husband and I have never had to worry about his job. So many are in this position because of the economy and I have not had to have this burden. A light went off in my mind and it was like God showed me by my best friend’s comment just how very lucky and blessed I am and to not ever take that for granted. Talk about humility…
In the midst of the everything going on in my life, and at our church, all I can think of is this: do I want God to stop?
My son was born with problems, the worst of what they were sure he had, finally ruled out -but the severe behavior component is still a regular, more than daily, I must still face him about and deal with him. When he’s out of control and refuses to see reason, sometimes gets so “on the ceiling” he’s unable to calm himself down much less listen to me as I try to quietly & calmly get his attention. The “reasonable control” I see as a mom-thing over and with him, is unattainable in his episodes. And that hurts.
But my son belongs to God first, I’m God’s steward as my son’s mom. Nothing more, and certainly nothing less.
But still, I must be willing to hand over or lay at the foot of the Throne that pain, hurt, and the tears to the Father of us all. It’s a control thing, and I don’t have it, it’s not going to be mine, and it can’t be. If it were, I would end up drowning in my son’s ocean of emotions just trying to reach him to bring him back to the shoreline most of us live on in life. So, I fight to keep my hands from grabbing for that which I cannot -must not- have. In those particularly hard moments of one of his episodes he’s finally-finally stopped suddenly, or de-escalated himself and let me help him…I don’t think my daughter sees me crying, but she surprises me by saying it’s hug time and she’s never letting go.
Is it pride to want reasonable control in raising my son, arrogance on my part to think I have a “right” to it? Well, from the shoes I wear -yes and no.
I am grateful for the the grace of God in those moments where in my humanity I grab for that which I cannot have, must not have. And exceedingly thankful God loves me enough to have had so much patience with me these (so far) 41 year, as one of His(sometime wayward)children.
Because of that I am better able to extend patience, grace, and kindness to my son when he deeply needs it but is unable or unwilling at times to want to ask or be able to cry out for it.
-Diane
Beth, dear Beth, you do have a way of shaking-up my world!
Your question was a huge wake-up call as I was once again trying to take “charge” of an especially wonderful journey that my youngest daughter is on in her personal life. . . it wan’t going fast enough.
I have been stepping in humility for months as each prayer answer comes and I barely fall to my knees in thankfulness, I am once again getting up to run and looking and wanting more, saying God, God, God, and I hear Yes, Joanne?? I am made ware that I have not waited for God’s plan to unfold, but I have anxiously dashed ahead wanting to put my plan into action, my way is faster!! I’m wanting more progress! So today I just sat down in the midst of my humbleness and prayed and prayed acknowledging that God is God and He does know what He is doing and He does not need my help. He needs my love, my patience, my obedience, and my confirmed belief that All is possible when God is left to work His wonders in His way! Praise GOD!!
My husband and I have become friends with a new couple. After about a year of knowing them, my husband was in a social situation with them and I was not there. When the wife introduced my husband to another friend of theirs, she said, “Oh, you have to meet Laurie! (She then threw me a few compliments, and ended with) and she has this AWESOME faith that you NEVER hear about!”
Ouch. Humbled right to the core. I’m sure she thought it was a compliment, but I was embarrassed to face God at that moment. I’m done trying to blend into the crowd. He humbled me right into making sure people in my circle of influence know that I LOVE JESUS!
Hey Beth,
You know, I really wish I could talk to you face to face about somethings that have come to my attention lately…you know I will always pray for you…genuine humility is something that I want desperately, because I have found out the hard way that pride comes before a fall. I did things I’m not proud of. He has begun to teach me in the past and present through trials mainly that I cannot handle this life with any measure of wellness in any way without Him. Humility is vital. Pride is destruction. I have no good besides or beyond Him. By the grace of God I am what I am, and how I long to please Him by walking in a manner worthy of my calling!
My most significant ‘humbling’ experience was a few years ago when it was discovered by my husband (and then many of our friends and acquaintances) that I was having an affair. I was raised in church, and yes (believe it or not) I loved the Lord. But somewhere after 3 children and a rough road financially, I found a sympathetic (I thought) ear and shoulder to cry on. I never imagined in a million years that I would be ‘one of those women.’ I judged them, I talked about them, and I was certain that I would never journey down that road. Shocking, to say the least… to all who knew me. However, I cried out to the Lord, I humbled myself and I truly sought Him with every last shred of my being (and they were indeed shreds). Siestas – the Lord restored my marriage, my family, and has blessed me in so many ways I cannot even begin to list here. But most importantly, the blessing in the humbling has been that I look at every woman I meet and wonder what her story is, where is her pain, what could I do to make a difference in her life? Instead of thinking her hair color is tacky and her implants too large! I KNOW someone out there knows what I’m talking about!! The Lord has flooded my life with mercy, and I pray with all my heart that it spills out onto others. Thank You, Jesus! *Lump in my throat*
The last time the Lord humbled me was to allow a series of relocations and private losses while in public ministry. The hardest part was the physical, cultural and relational isolation (We lived internationally and my husband and I were struggling in our own rx to the losses)
My limited insight for now is that the Lord is teaching me the difference between humility and(anger) despair…between godly hope, faith and love and human effort. My growing up examples have been to get angry and then get depressed. It’s a cycle I want to break because I know how destructive and miserable it can be to live with that. I know too it’s God’s grace to give that insight.
I can’t believe how timely this is, and obviously something God wants me to focus on just now…. On Monday, I had to re-take a certification test that I had failed the first time around, and this time I passed, but just barely. In the past, I’ve had success in school, with studies, and with testing, so this was a different experience for me, I even said, “wow, what a humbling experience”. And, I have a personal experience going on right now that is humbling me also. I’m not sure I fully know the lesson for me in these things yet, but I’m taking notice for sure. Thanks for the reminder Beth!
Kristi
I am fighting being humbled before God. I know in my heart the trials we are going through with our 15 year-old daughter are His way of humbling me. I know He wants to draw me closer. I know He wants me to forgive. Worse than that, I know He wants me to trust Him. All I can see, though, is my 15 year-old self and my mistakes thrown in my face. I have nightmares of having a 15 year-old pregnant teenager. I give her back to God everyday…and still I fret and lament. I don’t yet appreciate the lesson, I just want to “get it” and this be over.
i signed up for a year long mission trip with my church denomination. i wanted to be a team leader, to be a put-together missionary, to find affirmation from the mission organization… and to put it bluntly, i didn’t even know what following Jesus was all about! (i grew up in church, prayed a prayer to be forgiven of sins but never let Jesus be Lord of my life–i didn’t look or act or think much differently than anyone around me) i was not a team leader, the experience was one of the hardest things i’ve ever chosen to do, and at the end of the year the mission organization sent me home without much direction (to become involved in the local church).
but i’ll tell you what: i met Jesus for the first time ever, i learned that God gets so much more glory when we are weak & he works through us in mighty ways, and being involved in your local church is just as important as overseas missions! i needed (still often do!) a lesson in humility, an attitude adjustment and a different perspective. i’m thankful for that year of struggle–i am STILL learning from it, 3 years later! 🙂
I was on a mission trip in Columbus, OH the week of 8/10. During our prayer time, specifically prayed that God would give us God sized appointments, bring into our pathes people who needed to hear about him, etc. The next day, I had the pleasure along with one of my other sisters in Christ to talk to a young woman in the park for two hours, sitting on the ground and sharing! She told us she knew God had sent us because she wanted to take her life the night before. It was very humbling! God is big! Praise Him!
Oh. My. Goodness.
After an incredibly difficult and eye-opening day when the Lord used a painful situation between my dearest friend and me to come home to read these “meaty paragraphs!” What a blessing. TODAY I was humbled. My pride and selfishness were laid bare and I am ashamed of my behavior!! But reading here has given me renewed hope that He is not done with me, He will restore the relationship, and He will be glorified in it!! It’s way too fresh and there’s much work to be done, but I am thankful for this Grace!!
Another humbling was just tonight as I watched Life Today and Get out of that Pit. I’ve been struggling with willful sin and found myself in a pit. Someone pulled me out of it and into a new season. I was broken over my sin. I was crediting the person instead of the TRUE DELIVERER. I found myself faced with this temptation tomorrow and sickened over the fact that I felt defeated about it and delivered, Lord how long must I struggle with it? You spoke truth over me the entire time and as you finished the teaching looked right at me through the TV screen and reminded me that there is nothing that I cant completely be delivered from, I havent been in a pit that I can’t be delivered from and how much He loves me. I was humbled because He used you to speak to exactly what I needed to hear and what I have been struggling with all week because of the temptation. I needed to hear it. Thank you for being obedient to teaching God’s word. I have the sniffles!!
I’m in a bit of a humbling now. I have not had the need to keep up with technology at the rate of change. I was teaching austistic children and our school had older equipment and of course much simpler programs.
Two weeks ago I started a new job and have had to learn all the things I must accomplish, as well as very new equipment and advanced (For me) technology, AND I just yesterday acquired a smart phone, which I hope isn’t smarter than me! I’m accustomed to teaching others and I must rely instead on my coworkers to help me out and they have been very gracious,but it takes time from getting their own work done. Between pay cuts and reduced hours it is alot to ask and I have to humble myself and be patient with myself, giving my discomfort in this situation to God.
Thanks for the post and the reminder to humble ourselves so God doesn’t have to! Lately, God has been humbling me through my kids. I can get self-righteous about my parenting skills if my kids are well-behaved at an outing.
Last week it reared it’s ugly head again! Then, at church on Sunday, I had 2 people tell me stories of my kids’ poor choices (they are only 7,5,& 3). God humbled me to the core. Of all things, I want others’ approval on how I raise my kids. However, God has shown me how much I crave it and then I allow it to be a source of pride in my life. Still learning…praise the Lord for His faithfulness!
I was downsized from my job a year ago with a severance package, just in time to run for County Commissioner and didn’t win, but that is another God Story. As the campaign ended a volunteer position as coordinator for our church food pantry opened up. It is a constant reminder of how lucky I am that I was exactly 59 1/2, so I could draw my pension. My husband has health care in retirement that covers both of us and thanks to Dave Ramsey classes on becoming debt free, we had paid off most of our debt by the time the severance ran out.
Each week as I order food, stock the pantry or serve a client, I am reminded of God’s blessings. Most of the time I know the direction God is leading me, I just don’t understand why or why it has to take so long. I often later see how previous experiences prepare me for what was coming. I try to be thankful in my day to day life, but especially in the hard stressful times, because I know I will probably be in a situation at some point where that experience will be needed to help someone else. God’s Peace to each of you!
I have been for the last year especially and continue to be in a humbling state. 2 years ago we sold almost everything we owned to move to a mission field in Europe. The move didn’t actually happen till 17 months later, and then we were only there for 100 days because we were unable to obtain a visa. Upon moving back to the U.S. we had to start all over again. My husband took a job (the only one that was offered him) even though it wasn’t enough to live on (the nature of the job prevented either of us from getting an additional job). After working at this job for a year, he started his own business for the purpose of getting us back to the mission field. But he started totally from scratch, with nothing – no savings or loan or anything (we are determined to remain debt-free). We are not yet to the point where we can pay our rent/utilities each month, so the things we are doing without is astounding. One example is air conditioning in our car (we only have 1 car, and my husband uses it for his new business). We live in a city that has very hot summers (not too unlike Houston), and last summer (June 2010) our car ac went out. This past June 2011 we finally got it fixed because someone gave us the money, and 5 weeks later it went out again, and the repair is so expensive that there’s no hope of getting it fixed again. I KNOW there are far worse things in the world than a broken ac on a car, but combined with everything else we’re doing without, it’s been a hard pill to swallow.
I do not know yet why or what God is doing with this adversity. I try to keep my focus on Him and His presence, not His results.
My road to humility began with playing a game with friends where the question was asked “If you could be the greatest _______ in the world, what would you be?” I wrote down that I would like to be the greatest ‘humble person’ in the world. Oh my – I then started laughing so hard that I had to walk out of the room!! Is that possible? Now I live humility it seems everyday ~ and still have a very long road to go.
My favorite quote is from Andrew Murray. “Humility is perfect quietness of heart. It is to expect nothing, to wonder at nothing that is done to me, to feel nothing done against me. It is to be at rest when nobody praises me, and when I am blamed or despised. It is to have a blessed home in the Lord, where I can go in and shut the door, and kneel to my Father in secret, and am at peace as in a deep sea of calmness, when all around and above is trouble.”
This is a really great quote. Thanks for sharing it. I am going to print it out and put it on my desk at work!
Aug. 8th, 2011- 1st day at my new job as Assistant-teacher to 20 four-year olds…on my way to school I hit a sign (go ahead laugh ;~D the cop did when he pointed it out) Not sure what God is/was setting me up for in the way of His purpose for it but… He wants me to see the humor in it I know because the first one He sent to my aid was our music minister (a real jokester/comedian)who relentlessly teasted me about it (which is just his way).
Sorry… I hit a turn sign striaght on (long story how that happened)
ok computer symbles are not working with me here… it was a turn left or right sign I hit striaght on cause my new-to-me used car didn’t want to follow directions (much like some of my students lol)… here again the humbled state I have found myself in I can do nothing but laugh at myself all the while praying for God to have much mercy upon little ol’ me ;~D
I think we get caught up with being so busy, that we sometimes forget how blessed we really are. I was on my way back from lunch one day, and I saw a homeless gentleman standing at the intersection, holding a sign. I felt a pain in my heart, and felt so bad for the stranger who stood before me. He was on the opposite side of traffic, and as I passed him, a voice whispered “turn around”. It was quiet, but powerful! I turned around and began to look in my wallet. Ok…I’m the type of girl who NEVER has cash…I might have one dollar if I am lucky! But that day, I did have cash; a twenty and a one dollar bill. The voice returned, saying “Give him the twenty”. I didn’t question it…I knew it was God talking to me. As I pulled up, and rolled my window down, the man walked up, clothes dirty, and sweating very bad (I live in central Florida!), and I handed him the money. He looked at it, and looked at me with a confused look on his weathered face. He asked me if it was all for him, and I said yes sir, it is all for you. The lord told me you needed it more than I do. Tears welled up in his eyes and mine. He said thanks and God bless you, then the light turned green. It was a very humbling experience for me. I, like many of you, get caught up in busy schedules, but that man made me stop that day and thank my sweet Lord for blessing me with a loving family, a sweet house, and a good paying job.
My pride and my overly large mouth humbled me the past few months. With my older sister and my dear daughter-in-love, I thought I knew better than they. My mouth overflowed, I stomped in it, and splashed destruction over our relationships. In the midst of the guilt, the fear, and the shame, my Father held me tight yet challenged me to be the humble woman He had meant me to be. So, I apologized –how I hate to apoligize and that is way too much pride. Today, thanks to the proding of our loving God, our love for one another is intact, and we are busy building new bonds to cover over the cracks I caused earlier with too much ME!
Hi All,
I don’t post too often, but wanted to share a humbling experience that recently happened and one of the outcomes from this experience.
For most of my life I have struggled with anxiety. I have prayed, been prayed for in order to gain freedom. At times I would give up with the prayer and ever being free. I have been living with chronic pain for the last year and again there has been many prayers for healing. In my discouragement I quit seeking prayer or even praying for healing myself. Obviously, I wasn’t a good candidate for Him to heal. :)( I do know better,I was just tired of the anxiety and the pain). How wrong I was. During one medical procedure that normally would have caused great anxiety, I was calm, peaceful and able to carry on an intelligent conversation with the doctor. He would test me a few times over the next week and I would walk away feeling peace. Within a week I had the opportunity to share my story with a woman whose daughter had been struggling with this issue. I was able to say that God had healed me. I am humbled entirely by how God has already used my situation to touch someone else who needed encouragement from someone who had come out the other side.
Bless you all.
Wow, what a timely question for me. We are about to hit our one year mark as a church plant on Sept.11th. This whole process of church planting has been a humbling event. No matter how hard you try insecurity can so quickly rise within you that people don’t return or accept an invite because of me or my husband. Maybe we did something wrong, we didn’t connect or numerous other reasons. God so often humbles me in the midst of my mental checklist and whispers…it is not about you. And then says it again, it is not about you! Whether this succeeds or fails, it is on ME. I know that God is in control and that He know all things, but I so quickly end up with spiritual ADD and take my eyes off of Him. I NEED to be humbled, in fact I am so grateful that He reveals to me my desperate need for Him. When left to my own thoughts how quickly I become me-centered and not HE-centered!
Oh sweet Michelle. We need to meet. We reach our year mark this month in our church plant as well. It seems my husband and I are in a constant state of being humbled. And thank God because it is SO necessary. This very week we have been challenged because of some people leaving our core group with feelings of “what did we do wrong?” “Why us” “Why is everybody else’s church succeeding?” It’s just so hard. Praying for you and your husband!
Amy,
I would love to chat. My email is [email protected] if you want to “chat” Always wonderful to talk to someone who can relate:)
Michelle
Our church started on 9/11/2001 w/ 100 people in a bank meeting room. We are a church of prayer and giving. We began meeting in a Junior High School aud. where it was hot in the summer and cold in the winter. God has blessed this church is more ways than space allows. I am so excited for all of the Moores. Keep us posted. Our hearts and prayers are with you. I can just see this church hosting a Living Proof Live within 3 years.
Oh golly, golly, golly. Deeply personal and deeply fresh, as I’m currently experiencing a season of humbling alongside my sweet man. It has to do with his job situation being changed, and along with it, loss of income and living situations… still trying to make sense of it, and doing Priscilla Shirer’s Jonah study currently… praising God for the grace He is showering us with as we walk this path to this place we do not want to go. Not a lot of perspective here yet, but I can clearly see a faith stretching happening and am not wiling to go out in the pit. Thank you for sharing those verses. I know I’ve explained very little, and that very poorly, but trust me, this question/post was right up my alley tonight.
I was asked to be the graduation speaker at our school and as a speech teacher, I usually feel pretty confident about taking on this type of task. This year, however, I had just taken a group of middle schoolers to the East Coast for 8 busy days and had caught a bad cold that turned into bronchitis by the 2nd day. A few days after returning home, I was to speak. Nothing was going well and I was so sick I couldn’t concentrate well. I re-wrote the talk 6 times and just didn’t feel at all confident; finally in utter need I prayed for God to glorify Himself in spite of me and use me as He saw fit, even if I made a fool of myself. I gave the talk and was not well and felt I’d let the Lord down, but I received numerous kind remarks. I was the most amazed person of all and felt I’d learned a valuable lesson about Who everything is for and depends upon for success:)
Dear Beth, I could write to you A BOOK on the humbling experiences we have had in the last 3 years. But what I will share is possibly the worst thing that has ever happened in my life, and trust me there are a lot! Just over 2 years ago, my mother committed suicide. Terrible, hurtful, gut wrenching, tragic, life altering, and yes, humbling. Of all the words to describe it, none comes close enough to how it feels to have your Mom commit suicide. Nothing. My mother was a most beautiful, talented and loving woman. At one point in our lives we had a most wonderful relationship. However, at the end of her life, though I loved her so much, our relationship wasn’t so pretty. In fact, her relationship with any of us kids wasn’t so pretty. My Mom had suffered many physical ailments, leading to some pretty deep scars both physically and emotionally. I don’t believe she was ever totally emotionally well, but these physical issues tore the lid off her emotional well being. But the toll on our relationship was huge. At some points, to stay sane ourselves, we had to distance ourselves. It led to such isolation and hurt feelings on both sides. There is no winning in such a situation. I was so distanced from her, though at the same time always desiring to please the woman I had always strived to please, no matter how difficult. Our relationship was broken. Then, she took her life. We didn’t know it, but she had tried numerous times before. Talk about humbling. How many things I would’ve done differently had I known, How much I would’ve strived to tell her and to mend, had I known. I have changed much since then, knowing things I said hurt her and knowing that we never REALLY know. Her pastor had only healing words to say: Mom was a believer, and her favorite verse hit me even harder to hear Travis Cottrell sing it; Romans 8:37-39. She is with her Saviour, I am sure, because no one knew how sick she was more than our Lord. I know that she is healed and I know that no one knows how sorry I am more than my Jesus, and I know that she has heard from heaven too………
Shannon, I am so sorry for your loss and want you to know I care. Rest in Jesus, sweet sister.
My sister…..Our hearts will be forever broken by this, but our God has redeemed you and I through this, and will continue to. I love you.
This breaks my heart. Praying for you and thanking God that He is the Great Physician.
All I can say is WOW!! Big time WOW!! This morning I was reading in Luke 17:7-10 and this very topic of humility really stuck out to me within these verses!! I truly feel that God is calling me to humble myself and to remember that I am a servant of the Most High and that I shouldn’t be puffing myself up!! I don’t know, just yet what God has in store for me within this lesson, but what I DO know is that my God is so graciously faithful, true to His word and 100% magnificent!! So, I’m completely ok with moving forward being humble knowing His in control!
Reading Big Girls Don’t Whine, realizing that I am not as big a girl as I should be at this point. Humiliating to have to I.D. with the little girl all throughout the book-but also good to be in the place where I can say-I don’t want to deny the truth and stay here! God is faithful to move me forward, gently and always in love.
Sisters,
My most recent humbling experience came upon me just yesterday after a seven year legal dispute with our neighbors. After many attempts to mediate over the last seven years this year (coming to the seventh) year I couldn’t help but keep the faith that HE was going to work it all out. After many humbling experiences HE continued to strip me down until I could see as humanly possible through HIS lens. Although it started as a very personal attack, it was indeed a battle of the principalities of this world. I live in between my Reverends study house and the opposite thereof. Since we moved in ten yrs ago, the Lord has been transforming me spiritually, the most rewarding and excruciating experience. Intercessory prayer came to a whole new level. After a 10 hour mediation yesterday HOSANNA claimed Victor over darkness!!! Really all I have left to say is HOSANNA. I will be still and quiet until I have processed and truly moved thru this most painful humbling experience to date. An honor!
Love to LPM. God be with you all.
Love reading the posts and realizing i am not alone. The last battle was this summer while doing Beth’s Esther study and chairing our high schools’ class reunion (pride has me right here in not telling you how many years we celebrated :). And, this was truly destiny in these two events landing on the same summer. Anyway, i realized i am so much like Haman thinking everyone is talking about me. I also realized that i do feed on the praise of others and when i don’t get it (not one mention of my name on post-reunion Facebook messages) my feelings are hurt. Is this going to stop me from volunteering again? Nope – i know my gifts are from Him and He wants me to use them. I am thankful for Haman and his example because when my pride rears its ugly head all i have to do is think of him swinging on that rope and i smile, shake my fist at the enemy and lean on Him. j
Oh boy, this is right up my alley! Jesus said, unless you humble yourself as a little child you shall not enter the Kingdom of heaven. That’s enough to slap myself right upside my forehead. I’ve been dealing with a wiley enemy called pride and self-righteousness for a long time now. Repent? Yes. Victory? No. I had to get to the bottom of it. A dear and wise new friend told me something I needed to know. I asked her the question: “What do you think of when I say the phrase ‘intimate enemy'”? I had been taught by my family of emotional and talkative women that our mates were our intimate enemy! They would laugh tongue-in cheek, but the way fightings and marriages and divorces went, it was certainly the truth. I fell into the trap of not trusting men (I had good reason with an alcoholic daddy and my oldest brother molesting me) so it was easy taking up the same mind set, all the while self-righteously soldiering through in my long term marriage until my wise friend immediately answered my query: “Why, it’s the curse of the flesh or the curse of sin that we all bear in our bodies…that’s why Christ died to bring us freedom from the intimate enemy within!”Duh…What? Of course! My pride had me duped for all of my adult life. Humbled, yes! “His craft and power are great and armed with cruel hate, one little word will fell him…” Now I’m singing: “When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion we were like them that dream….” Talk about pouring contempt on all my pride… In the humility of a little child, I’m heaven bound. Thanks be to God who always gives us the victory when we leave no stone unturned.
This morning was the last time He humbled me. I tend to be critical of people and untrusting of their motives. When He humbles me I am more loving to people around me. It also helps me focus less on myself and more on God.
Very humbling – married 26 yrs, had 3 girls raised in Christ. When they got in to HS had easy time with grades, star athletes and I couldn’t of been prouder. Oldest daughter senior yr spent 6 weeks at John Hopkins with neuro disease and had liver damage. Well 3 months later ended up pregnant. That sweet little one is light of life but… Then middle daugther had Field Hockey scholorship and I was telling all the time of running roads had paid off and gee look at my work. Well she dropped that – tired of being injured and hurt (go figure). They moved to Durango Co and youngest had gift from Co to be able to drop out of sch at 17. Has since gotten GED and taking classes. But I really thought I had it all under control – biggy on my top 10 issues – oh and I live on property with mother-in-law (her home is 15 feet from our bedroom window). Long and short “Our peace comes from the Lord, maker of heaven and earth”.. God Bless all. And feel free to pray for me:)