LOSING IT

"I'm sorta proud that I'm humble," stated a Sunday School class member last week.
" And when you become proud, you lose your humility," my wife corrected.
"You're right. That's right," he admitted.

"We have to be umble." "we have to umble ourselves''.
"That's right," I thought. But just what is umble? In my 5th grade mind I didn't know, sitting in there in Sunday School. No one asked what umble was. And even if I had known, how does a 5th grader deal with being humble? I just accepted that if that's what we needed to be, I was ready.

Humility is a trait that has to be learned over a period of years. In the sports arena, it's perhaps best summed up by the old coach who said to a player after he over celebrated a feat, "Act like you've been there before." (I know it should have been 'act as if, rather than like, but had I added sic, you might have thought I was not being humble, that I was brandishing my education in your face).

Humility is easier when we have the love of others in our heart. If we don't try to elevate ourselves. When we downplay our accomplishments or achievement. When we place emphasis on the others. When our language is not peppered with I, me, my.

Humbleness or umbleness, it's a Godly trait. I doubt that you'll ever hear someone being criticized for being too humble.