Humility and thankfulness in a world of swag.

The worlds success is characterized by bravado and bluster, swag, and hierarchy, and it is exhausting. To be clear,  I see all of the constant one upping as one of these things: Lack of self confidence, self centeredness, or lack of awareness. Trying to best everyone else, show off, and make all others your “foe” is not only off putting, it is unfulfilling. In complete opposition to this mentality are the character traits of humility and thankfulness.

Someone who walks in humility is incredibly cool and lifts everyone they meet. Their humility and grateful heart at the center of their life is a powerful draw. They don’t have to compare themselves to everyone else, and they don’t secretly consider themselves better than you.

In someone truly humble, there is no need for the constant life competition with others.

Your outfit, your house, your car, your anything is not your badge of coolness with God and shouldn’t be with other Christians.  Instead, God reveals himself in your life through his character traits.

What is humility ?

First of all, humility is not weakness or lack of backbone. It is acceptance of one’s own unimportance in the big wide world as compared to others. We are not the center of the universe. Let me stress that we are all important, but not more important than others. God is no respecter of persons. There is no hierarchy of good people.

We are created equal.

I was watching a show about dancing one afternoon and the choreographer said something like, “She’s not ready. It seems she needs to break down to have some humility. Her dancing needs emotion and heart. She needs to let go.” I stopped the show right then and thought about that observation all day. In order to be genuine, she had to let go of how she looked to other people. She had to dance with her heart and realize her place in a group as an equal.

Seeing yourself as an equal is both confident and humble. You recognize your worth, but also the worth of those around you. You are also thankful for the ability to contribute and the contributions of others. 

The best people you meet are strong, but humble, real and genuine. They don’t fear emotion, but are even and trustworthy. Instead of running around trying to please people or impress, they just draw others in with their kindness. They walk softly through the world, but with inner strength. They lead by example.

People have called me a doormat in the past. Sadly, I almost believed them. I did need some boundaries, but it wasn’t lack of confidence, but rather how I saw people. I couldn’t help but see where they had been, a picture of their hurts. I felt compassion to the point of having no boundaries.

It can be exhausting to deal with cantankerous overbearing people, so I just slowly removed myself from those situations, but I still see people as they are inside. So, part of humility requires choosing balanced boundaries and not allowing hurtful or destructive behavior in your own life. It requires strength.

Humility is beautiful, strong, and a reflection of God in our lives.

My personal race in life is running next to and compared to the word of God, not other people.

When I don’t see myself on a scale of competition, I am exhibiting self confidence. My wins are besting myself, not others.

I can also celebrate your wins, because I don’t see any of them as bad for myself.

Empathy and kindness still require a backbone. When I stand up for someone, it is an act of strength.

I have to admit, I had to learn to stand up for myself and not allow big personalities to try to run over me. Also, I had to learn to recognize the about to get runover stage, and then not allow it,

but I am not trying to best you. 

In life and at work, everyone has a task to do and everyone’s contributions should be respected.

That corner office or fancy title is just dust in the wind. Your car, your home, and your bank account are your own personal treasures but have nothing to do with anyone else. In fact, some people value those things, but many don’t. I get the desire to achieve and success is beautiful.

However, the most successful people value all people, and recognize that without everyone else they would not have a job at all. Without others, we don’t have an income. Without others, we do not have family or love either.

Thanking people for their contributions shows that we value them and the work they do at home or at their jobs.

Let’s ask God to help us always to recognize when we are life competing instead of seeing the world through humility and thankfulness. When we pray, let’s also ask him to help us be our best selves.

Thank you for reading,

I am…

Barefoot and writing,

Kim

Humility and thankfulness are attractive and powerful.