The Dark Side of Humility

Jesus humbled himself. - Philippians 2:7

For many of us who grew up in the Christian tradition, humility was a virtue that we’ve become a bit wary of. And for good reason.

Over the centuries, humility has been weaponized by those in power, telling the poor and the outcast that they were being proud by asserting their desire to better their status in society. Church leaders, political leaders, the educated class, and others have said this - so no wonder humility has earned a bad rap.

And then there’s the more nuanced use of humility against individuals in homes. Many of us were taught a form of self-denial that meant self-hatred. We were told, over and over again, that we were unworthy of God’s love, that we were mere wretches - and these images were held up as essential to ‘the gospel.’ How many of us internalized a disdain for our bodies, a suspicion for our emotions, and a ton of shame for our actions, all in the name of humility.

So what do we do with all this baggage?

Perhaps this week we can do some work on redeeming humility. Let’s look into the healing, loving eyes of Jesus and let him teach us. After all, with no shame and with no hatred (of self or otherwise) Jesus willingly, even gloriously humbled himself. So perhaps if he could do it in a way that’s healthy, wise, and winsome then so could we.

Talk with him, the Humble One, about your hangups around humility. Ask for the grace to relearn it in new ways this week.