Monday’s Mantra

Humility Brings Victory

1stPeter 5:6-7: Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God that He may exalt you in due time, ⁷casting all your cares on Him for He cares for you

Welcome to Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power and Trench Classes United. We are off to a great start for a great year. Did you know that 17 is a number that means overcoming and victory? Whew, I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for a year of overcoming and victory! Grab your coffee, or whatever you’re having, and your strand of faith and let’s go tie some knots together.

What’s the first thing you think or feel when you read/hear this word, humility? My guess is your first instinct may not be so positive, at least not as beautiful as humility was meant to be. Years ago, I prayed for this virtue…whew, what a season! J J I’ve come to learn that this fruit of the Spirit is one that tries to sneak away…often, and I do mean often!  Why is that? Because we have this house of flesh that consistently needs to be shushed!  It’s not something that you just tweak your nose, snap your fingers, or push a 30-second button and voila, we are humbled! I mean, we can be humbled that quick; but the problem is pushing the pause button so humility stays with us in and through all circumstances. Yes, I have learned, albeit the hard way, that humility is like salt to a tasteless meal; it adds flavor; it makes everything better!

In fact, humility helps me to hang on to my Christianity and prevents me from getting on my broom and rising above others as I take a fast spin around my circumstances.

What does “humbling yourself” look like?

I’ll never forget an experience I had when I read 1stPeter 5:6. The crazy thing is I had read it a year prior, even wrote a blog on it as I was struggling with wondering why my first book wasn’t being picked up by an agent/publisher so I thought He was saying in due time. But months later, when I was brought back to it, He gave me another meaning that spoke much louder than the first one. What He was speaking this time literally rendered me humbled: In due time, through this season of seeking humility, He would lift me up and out of… myself! Yes, the scriptures are God-breathed and useful for teaching and correcting. The only way we can know this is by showing up each day to have our eyes and ears opened, offering up a sacrifice of time.

The Merriam Webster’s Dictionary defines humility in this way: “The quality or state of not thinking you are better than others. A couple weeks ago, I shared a painful truth about staying focused on my own agenda on my train ride to work and how I only half-participated in a divine appointment. Because I was not humble, I missed out, and have felt the sting of that since it happened. I can’t wait to share with you the redemption of that humbling mistake.

I have learned firsthand that God will humble us not to hurt us but to help us. He is more concerned about our humility than our happiness… and He will do what He needs to do to achieve this virtue in us. Join me Wednesday for a sort of redemption of my mistake and Him giving me a “retake”!

Humbly,

Evinda