The Fruit of Humility

Dottie Oleson shared on Sunday some of the research around humility. She started by looking at how hard it is to define humility. Psychologists identify five aspects of it:

(a) accurate view of self (e.g., awareness of one’s strengths and weaknesses),
(b) a receptive orientation toward others, including appreciation for differences,
(c) the capacity for self-regulation of emotions, par- ticularly shame and pride,
(d) teachability, and
(e) low concern for social status

When you wrap that all up together in a person, well, that’s a pretty amazing person. Research also shows that those who embody humility find that it is a predictor of life satisfaction, happiness, positive mental health, social justice, intercultural competence. If you can peel back some of the religious terms, that’s pretty much exactly what the Bible says about humility:

The reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life. - Proverbs 22:4

The riches may not always be financial, and the honor may not equal fame, but the picture here is that the humble have a really, really good life.

Look back over that five-fold definition of humility and look back over that bible verse. What’s standing out to you? See if you can put words to it and turn it into a prayer to God.