Less of you

I'm sorry if you will be disappointed to find out this post will not be about weight loss, as the title may be deceiving. Instead this week I am writing about humility. Many people make the mistake of thinking that humility means timidity or even insecurity. It is more accurate to think of it as a moderate view of oneself - as in Romans 12:3, "not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgement, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. (ESV)" This means thinking neither too highly nor too lowly of yourself but take an honest assessment of where you are. 

This might lead you to believing you need to spend a lot of time inward focused but I actually think the best way to remain humble is to keep your eyes on the world at large. I ran a race this weekend with my accountability partner that neither of us were properly trained for. Rather than foolishly pushing ourselves (to injury) we intentionally went at a slower pace by remaining in conversation. If we couldn't talk, then we were going too fast. In contrast, my friend's husband focused on getting a good time and surged ahead. At the end of the race, we found that he had missed a lot of the interesting scenery and still didn't end up finishing as fast as he would've liked. By keeping our eyes ahead and gaging each other's progress, my partner and I were able to complete the race together and savor the experience.

In your journey through health and faith, being humble (or in tune with your place) you will be able to make the more appropriate choice, less likely to be discouraged by disillusionment, and more willing to accept the help and advice of others with greater knowledge. You will also find that others are will recognize your honesty and want to engage with you. I think this is what Jesus meant when he said in Matthew 5:5, "God blesses those who are the humble, for they will inherit the whole earth. (NLT)"