Embracing Humility

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 1 Peter 5:6

When our firstborn John-Mark was a baby, he was a parent's dream. He was quite cute, if I do say so myself, and his personality pleasant. Mark and I found it easy to work around meeting his needs when we were out and about, so we loved bringing him to church, the store, relative's houses, anywhere. 

John-Mark with Shep 

And then he turned 18 months. Practically overnight my little angel became a serious challenge and I was caught totally off guard. (Why is it called the "terrible twos" if it starts at 18 months?) One day when I was feeling particularly vulnerable my mother-in-law saw my distress and said something that has stuck with me through the years. While I fretted about how to handle image control, she softly said to me, "Children are a constant lesson in humility."

How true it is! I remember clearly before John-Mark's birth in Minneapolis when I sat in a large classroom filled with first-time pregnant women eager to learn breathing techniques to help with the pain of labor and delivery. I thought my big challenge in being a mother was going to be dealing with the physical pain of childbirth. Little did I know the real pain of having a child would be the discovery of who I really was. 

With six children now, whose ages range from six to thirty-one, I have recalled my mother-in-law's wise words countless times. Children bring with them ten thousand lessons in humility. When my child sins against me, my reaction to that sin reveals as much about me as the sin reveals about my child. And when I sin against my child, whether through commission or omission, this reveals much about me as well. If no other lesson is immediately learned, my sin against my child reveals my need for complete dependency on the One whose kindness is everlasting, whose patience never wears thin, and whose love is endlessly perfect. 

The contrast between God's perfection and my lack of it will always result in humility. And by embracing rather than running from those moments of self-revelation, an ever-increasing humility will be built into my life.  And painful though the lessons be, increased humility is always a good thing. A very good thing.

John-Mark today with his wife Sara and babies Audrey and Noah

See A Childlike Faith.

See On Becoming a Man.