IMHO

I was taking part in an on-line conversation awhile back, and came across the acronym “IMHO”; to which the next person replied with a “IMNSHO.” I had to turn to someone younger than I to get the translation, “In My Humble Opinion;” I figured out for myself that the extra NS stood for “not so.” It made me wonder, how often are my “humble opinions” stated in a way that is not so humble after all? Ted Turner (not exactly the poster child for modesty) once said “If I had a little bit of humility, I’d be perfect.”

In his book, Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis calls pride the great sin, saying, "There is one vice of which no man in the world is free; which everyone in the world loathes when he sees it in someone else. Pride is spiritual cancer, it eats up the very possibility of love, or contentment, or even common sense. If anyone would like to acquire humility I can I think tell him the first step. The first step is to realize that one is proud. And a big step too. At least nothing whatever can be done before it. If you think you are not conceited, it means you are very conceited indeed."

How could Jesus be so humble? He had more to be proud of than anyone! His identity as Messiah, all the miracles, his faithfulness to God, his sacrifices for the sake of the Kingdom… to say nothing about his divine nature! Yet we constantly see Jesus taking the humble position. He never demands that others serve him, and never complains about being mistreated. He did teach “as one with authority,” not just sharing humble opinions. And he did tread on a few toes in the process. But it was more about the truth, not about building his own reputation.

Humility is a process of dying to self. It involves giving up the need to be the important one. It is never easy among our peers. I’ve noticed, though, that when we are in the presence of someone truly great it comes more naturally. We turn our focus to them.

When we are in worship, we recognize that we are in the presence of God. There is no room for personal pride in worship because it is about Him, not about us. The more we are aware of His awesome presence the more humble we will be.

But what about our normal day to day interactions with our Christian brothers and sisters… can we recognize Christ living in them? They may not be letting His light shine through very brightly at the moment, but that does not reduce His presence. May God help us to see Himself in each other.

IMHO, the light of Christ shines beautifully in your eyes.