So I think this post will be something of a cry out for wisdom/advice because it's been at the back of my mind for a while and it kinda...surfaced this morning.
K, I finished the Purple book WOO (I might be calling some of you for questions). And I remember in the last lesson, it talks about 3 places in Matthew where God rewards those who give in secret, pray in secret, and fast in secret. This reminded me of when the Bible says that we should treat God with reverence and awe. It also reminded me of the importance of humility and how in Luke (I think it's in Luke), and how it says the those who are humbled will be exalted and those who are exalted will be humbled.
So here's my dilemma:
Sometimes when you say/do something nice or generous or good or whatever, that person will have the impression that you are a good person right? That you are generous, that you are nice, etc. But we must be humble so you say something...not necessarily mean, but not as...generous as what you just said or did. So not making yourself look horrible, but not as good as...a really awesome person, because really, we're not that awesome in comparison to our God. I know this is the wrong way to think. I'm just missing something, can't put it into words, maybe yall can help me out. How to stay humble, give the glory to God, do good things but not be praised for it. I mean, it's cool when you're thanked and all, but...doesn't that get to you after a while? Like we can get carried away and get "addicted" to doing good things to be praised when we don't deserve it. Gosh, I don't know, humility can get very confusing.
And then there's this thing a close friend of mine told me: Always try to look at things from the other person's perspective. What do they want? What would you see in yourself if you were them? I'm pretty sure what she told me is applicable but it's way easier said than done.
Yeah, confusion galore. Thanks for reading all.
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2 comments:
dude, we have all been exactly where you are right now. This is a good sign because it means you are truly trying to conform to the image of God and you care about your character. The thing about humility is that you can't really be humble until you have something to be humble about. That being said, doing good things to people is something many admire and strive to do. As with anything, the motivation is the key to this puzzle, I think. If your motivation is for people to say what an awesome person Andrew Wu is and how great he is and my what a wonderful young man Andrew Wu has become, Andrew Wu, Andrew Wu, Andrew Wu...then you have a problem. For you to want to help others in order to help your own image and feed your vanity is nothing less than sin. On the other hand, however, is doing things for others because you truly love them as God loves them. This is a hard thing to do because, as you said, we are all nothing next to God and people are people and they make you mad and you see their faults and so on. When you love your neighbor as you love yourself and serve them as Jesus served the Apostles, you may garner praise not only from the person you helped, but also from bystanders. This is OK. You ask the question how to glorify God when accepting compliments and the simple answer is with your humility. People know who you are when they compliment you (most of the time anyway) and the very fact that they know that you are a Christian and that is what motivates you to help others will glorify your Father in Heaven. Well, how do they know my motivation? you ask. People know. You don't have to tell them. They can see through you if you just want the glory all for yourself. If you are quiet about your helping others, not broadcasting them over the PA in the hospital or telling everyone you see how you helped a little old lady cross the street this morning, this is pleasing to God. I don't know if this helps at all, but want to commend you for looking for help in others and for being transparent. God bless you my friend!
I don't know if you've ever read the book Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, but if you haven't then you should skim through it when you have a chance. C.S. Lewis states that a humble man does not know he is humble. He is the way he is and does what he does because it is in his God-given nature. Think about it. You don't engage in an act thinking " I am acting in a humble way." In fact humility can only exist in the absence of recognition. Proverbs has much to say about humility as well; in fact Proverbs 18:12 states that before honor is humility. Humility is a very difficult concept with which to deal. Just as God inhabits the praises of his people we too desire to be praised for good works. But also think of how often God is not credited with the blessings and good works that he has done in our lives. That is not to say that you should deny being a good person when someone recognizes a good work in you. However, when you begin to feed off the praise and adoration that is when you need to bring yourself before the LORD and seek forgiveness.
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