I thought I knew what humility was until I was put in a position where I was unable to take care of myself. I had to rely on someone else to help me do everything.

I am, after all, a very independent individual. I am the one who takes charge and cares for others. So, to have this situation happen where I was unable to take care of myself was a very difficult position to be in. I had a back problem that completely incapacitated me for a time. Yes, I am very, thankful that it was only for a time. However, it put me in a position to understand what really being humble was.

We are a society that prides ourselves on our accomplishments. On our works. On our actions. A lot of us like to say we are humble individuals. Yet, are we? Or is it just another word we toss around to make us sound better?

Mother Teresa was, in my opinion, a very humble woman. She didn’t go out of her way to point to her works. Her works spoke loudly about who she was. Even though she began her “mission within a mission” at the age of 36, most of us didn’t become aware of her or really know about her work until later in her life; when her humanitarian efforts were broadcast by others.

While I am sure this media attention helped her ministry, she didn’t seek it out, it came to her. She did the work she was called to do and didn’t say, “Look at me. Look at what I am doing to help the poor and needy.” She simply did it. Can we say the same? Would we follow in her footsteps?

It is a difficult road she traveled and she remained humble about it, faithfully in service to her calling.

In a lot of churches, there are foot washing services. This is pretty much just what it sounds like. Someone in the congregation comes with a bowl of warm water and a cloth and washes your feet. The idea is to experience the sense of humbleness & humility that it takes to serve someone in this manner.

The experience is shared as both the servant and the ‘master’. The person whose feet is being washed generally feels humbled by having someone attend to them in this manner; washing their bare feet. It is comparative to what Jesus experienced when the prostitute washed his feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. Her humbleness in that moment of pure servitude is something most of us will never experience. We are too full of who we are and think too highly of ourselves, it is hard to get out of our own way in order to act voluntarily as a servant for anyone else. We want to be served, not be the one who is doing the serving. Yet, even when being served, we want it on our terms.

(Parents can be a great example of this. They serve their children’s and meet their needs, yet they often forget to pass along this very valuable lesson to them. That the act of serving is as great if not greater than that of ‘master/mistress’ ie the person being served. Also, we often only give this way to our children.)

We want to be healthy and in charge. We don’t want someone helping us because we are unable to help ourselves. We don’t want to be in that “weak” position. That very humbling position. We want to be powerful and strong, both in body and mind. We want to take the strength of our youth and carry it throughout our entire lives. What we want and the reality of our situation may not be the same. The older we get, the more our bodies tend to fail us in unexpected ways or at inconvenient times. Even the seemingly healthiest person can unexpectedly fall to unforeseen factors. 

This is where our ‘community’ come into play; in other words, we are supposed to rely on those around us. We gain strength from it. It makes us better people when we learn to balance our lives with not only our strengths and but our weaknesses. We gain even more strength when we allow others to help us in our weaknesses and in our times of trial and tribulation. Whether it lasts a few moments or decades. We are put in a position that not only can benefit us, but also be blessed to those who willingly choose to help us.

Unfortunately, it is our mindset that keeps us from learning these lessons. The way we are raised. The things we are taught. The ability to survive on your own and be independent having a high value. Taking care of yourself and others and not having anyone there to help support and take care of you, etc. These actions, these situations, they work against our personal growth. It may take those of us who truly believe we are self-sufficient even longer to learn certain lessons.

There are many scriptures, books, sermons, speeches that talk about humbleness. We listen to them without hearing them. We believe we are humble without truly knowing what it means or ever having experienced it. There are some amazing role-models out there that really do exhibit this trait. People who are often over-looked or not thought about. If you look around you will find them and you can learn great lessons from them.