What the Easter Story Tells Us About Humility

I hope you all had a lovely Easter! Though we took time to celebrate what Jesus did for us on the cross this past weekend, I hope it's something we reflect on throughout the whole year. Not only did Jesus' sacrifice save us, not only did it bring us true life and hope and the opportunity for an intimate relationship with Him - but it also set an incredible example of how we should live on earth.

I've been dwelling on the state of humility a lot recently, and I believe there's no act that required more humility than the cross. Jesus gave up all he had in heaven to come to this broken earth. He traded riches for rags, a palace for open fields. He gave up security and comfort for pain, rejection and even death. Can you imagine how much humility that took, how much selflessness and unconditional love? That thought just blows my mind.

You know, the more I think about humility, the more I realize how essential it really is to our Christian walk. It's easy as a Christian to get caught up in so many things - to focus on what we should be doing for God, or where we should be going. It's easy to make life about how many times we read our Bible, or how often we make time to pray. But at the end of the day, those things are outside works. Yes, they're important. But not nearly as important as the state of our hearts.

When I look at some of the people I most admire, heroes of the faith both in the Bible and currently alive today, the one trait I always find among them is humility. Humility is what propels people to change the world. It may sound counterintuitive, but it's so true. When we approach God with a humble heart that is honest and open about our brokenness and receptive to His call, everything changes. When we approach other people with humility, looking for ways to serve them rather than ourselves through our interactions, everything changes.

To be humble is to have a gentle, open heart. It is to be above offense, but always full of wisdom. No style of life is as attractive to me as that one. But sometimes, no style of life seems as difficult! Our world is very anti-humility, if you haven't noticed. Pride is seen as a natural way of life, and self-preservation often trumps everything else. It's counter-cultural, this disposition to put others before yourselves. But it's so powerful, and so worth it.

And best of all, we know it's possible, because we walk with the One who modeled it best.

#2016 #christian