Confident Humility

Humility is something I would say I struggle with on some occasions. I have a big head and like a lot of  people I can be a bit full of myself sometimes. I worked at Kamp this summer and one of the most common questions I got asked is “What did the Lord teach you this summer?” When you are unplugged from the world for a month you have plenty of time to get lost in your head, which honestly is one of the most self-destructive things I do. Get stuck in my own head. I had myself convinced that I had not learned anything and that I didn't even know my full purpose of being there. I was in The Word everyday, multiple times a day but not understanding why I was called to spend a month here. Like I've told you before I worked in the kitchen, which was a blast but, it was hard work. We didn't get to see the kids that often and we were in the kitchen 90% of the day. It was a humbling experience at times. I had to wear a hat everyday, I had an apron on 24/7 and still managed to stain every shirt I wore, I was waking up early and I think I fixed my hair a total of three times the whole month. I was elbow deep in raw chicken at some points and my hands were cramping from pulling frozen pork apart at others. So I think we can all agree that it was humbling. At times I looked down on myself because my job was to cook the feggs (don't ask, it was gross) and not drive boats all day. I think sometimes we misunderstand the meaning of humility. Humility does not mean thinking little of ourselves. Romans 12:3 says, “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.” It is speaking about our ability, not our worth. We shouldn't exaggerate our ability. It is important to remember that God created us, He wants us to have a sense of self worth. He doesn't want us to think we are worthless. He wants us to realize we have tremendous potential with Him! Humility is not insecurity. Believing you are capable of anything God calls you to do is not pride, it's faith. This confidence stems from who you are in Christ. Our identity and worth doesn't come from ourselves or others, it comes from God! 

The story of Nehemiah is one of my very favorite books of the bible. Nehemiah was a man who lived in Persia and worked for the king. One day his brother told him that Jersulem was destroyed. He was told the people weren't following God anymore because the Israelites were being attacked by their enemies because the wall around the city had crumbled. Nehemiah cried out to God and later asked the king to return to Jerusalem. God softened the king's heart and the king allowed Nehemiah to return. Rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem was a big job for one man that came with a lot of opposition. Nehemiah acknowledges God's role in every level of this plan moving forward. God put the idea in his heart and God granted him favor with the king when working out the plan. This proves that what God initiates, He will sustain and He will fulfill. That's not to say it won't come with opposition. Nehemiah encounters that right away. The enemies of God's people wanted to stop Nehemiah, but Nemiah prayed to God asking for direction, strength, and protection. God has a plan, but like Nehemiah we must ask what our role is. The enemies planned an attack, but Nehemiah trusted that God heard His prayer and that He would provide. God did just that. With the help of the Lord Nehemiah was able to prepare his people for the opposition. He reminded them to not be afraid and to remember their Lord. The closer they got to finishing the wall the more the enemies realized they couldn't stop Nehemiah. The enemies tried to lure Nehemiah to leave the wall and meet them, but he wouldn't. They hoped Nehemiah's hands would get weak but Nehemiah prayed for strength and God granted it to him. The enemies even hired a priest to try and get Nehemiah to leave and go to the temple. Nehemiah 6:11-13 says, “But I said, “Should a man like me run away? Or should someone like me go into the temple to save his life? I will not go!” I realized that God had not sent him, but that he had prophesied against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. He had been hired to intimidate me so that I would commit a sin by doing this, and then they would give me a bad name to discredit me.” If Nehemiah had responded to his fears and not to God he would have committed a terrible sin. But he trusted God and not his emotions. Nehemiah trusted God more than anyone else. God granted Nehemiah discernment in the midst of powerful people around him plotting against him. Nehemiah repeatedly sought God for direction, strength, and discernment, it is clear that he knows these things come from God, not himself. In the Bible Recap Tara Lee Coble says “True humility is confident humility. The confidence comes from looking to God as our source, and the humility comes from seeing ourselves in the light of who God is.” Confident humility is not building yourself up or beating yourself down. Nehemiah walks in confident humility not because he is an amazing person but because he knows the source of his strength comes from God. He knows that God will properly equip him for his calling. Confident humility is being secure and confident in Christ and His character and having the ability to admit your ignorance and weakness. Meaning we are open and receptive to what the Lord wills for us, knowing that all things come from Him and should ultimately lead back to Him. C.S. Lewis once said “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less.”

All this to say, I realized it wasn't about me being elbow deep in raw chicken, it was about why. It was about the smiles and laughs shared in the dining hall. It was about having the opportunity to serve behind the scenes at a place where lives are changed because of the Gospel. It was about asking God for the strength to get out of bed at 6am to flip pancakes with sprinkles, and asking for peace when things got overwhelming. It was about trusting God in the mundane and knowing that my strength is found in Him and only Him. To God be the glory, always. Be the sunshine on someone’s cloudy day.

Good Talk,

Rylie With The Messy Life :)