“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” James 4:6.

In remembering this verse, the thought came that humility is the most important virtue for a believer. Why? Because it is the doorway through which grace can enter our lives. Grace is God giving us the opposite of what we believe: joy, peace, goodness, love and mercy. Those are things to desire!

However, to pray to be humble is a dangerous prayer! It like asking a  coach to turn you into an olympic runner: lots of pain, self denial, cutting many pleasant things out of your life, and sweating a lot.

Praying to be more humble is asking for demanding training. To be humble means to not trust  in yourself but to deeply trust in God. We can only learn that through trying times. As one of my mentors said, “The shortcut to humility is the road of humiliation!”

So, if we want to be humble, we must embrace the difficult, the uncomfortable, the unwanted situation. We have to learn to win by losing. We have to laugh when we humiliate ourselves, knowing that we are on the way up by going down. More easily said than done.

I do pray for more humility so that more grace can flow into my life–and out to others. And God obliges, reminding me that He knows more than I do (!). Thus He draws me on to submit my intellect, my perception and my thoughts to Him, for He knows better! And therein we will find humility.

Picture: Great example of humility.