We’re considering “Humility” for this Monday in our Lent Devotional for Women. I know, what a way to start the week! But really, at least for me, this post on humility is so encouraging. This Lent Devotional shares some new revelations or at least memories of something I knew at one time but lost in the shuffle of my daily life.
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Today’s reading from Divine Intimacy is titled, “Humility.” And just when I think I’ve read pretty much everything about humility (humble much, LOL?) but just don’t always put it into practice, I learn something new.
Quickly speaking of humility, have you read the classic, Humility of Heart? How about Know Thyself? Or the fairly recent book by Fr, Jacques Philippe, The Eight Doors of the Kingdom: Meditations on the Beatitudes?
Back to our Lent reflection on humility and my revelation above that proves my lack of humility. You know what I’m talking about right? Sometimes I think, how many books and quotes can a person (pointing at my own self right now) read about humility? Over and over the same things about humility, said in a different way, by a different author, in a different context, and it all still boils down to being humble–said with a profound and possibly prideful eye-roll.
That last sentence above though; out of everything ever written here, should make you feel good about yourself. Before we move on though and in the same vein, do you know there’s such a thing as a false sense of humility? This is a sense of self-loathing resulting from being compared or comparing oneself to others. It can also come across as the “Oh yeah…” syndrome.
You know the “Oh yeah…” syndrome. It usually happens in a group when one person complains or degrades themselves or their life. Before you know it, everyone is jumping in with their own, “Oh yeah, Well I’m so (blank) that…” It almost becomes a competition to see who can be worse than the others!
But back to true humility and enough about my lack of humility. See, I’ve always considered humility this void–this lack of…I thought the truly humble person was empty of or at least striving to be empty of all faults, sin, and vice, which is true; I just never made the connection the next thought…filling the void.
Humility deepens the soul’s capacity to receive the fullness of divine gifts.
—Divine Intimacy
In the quote above, humility is striving to empty the soul of the unwanted so it can make room for the wanted–the fullness of divine gifts. Wow! In my mind, this makes the idea of humility more appealing.
I hate to be this way and I surely don’t want to admit this, but humility for humility’s sake alone doesn’t necessarily appeal to me. Ugh, I know, for shame on me! But it probably makes me pretty normal, right? Right? Anyone? If not normal maybe at least relatable?
All is not lost though! This humility I’m describing—this emptying out…so God can fill me up, I can totally get on board with that! You too?
St. Therese of the Child Jesus said, “O my God, You make me realize how far I must descend in order that my heart may serve as a dwelling place for You…You come to me in the hope of finding an empty tabernacle, a heart wholly emptied of self. This is all You ask.”
The above quote makes me think of Jesus descending to earth, completely emptying Himself, to the point of death, for you and me.
The very thought of emptying myself, not for Him, although that should be enough right there; but so He can find an emptiness to fill up with Himself…wow!
And the incredible thought, more of Him, less of me, will surely help me in this Lent Devotional for Women of “loving more and better” for Lent. As a matter of fact, my one word one year was “More.”
Obviously, the more I am filled with Love–remember the Scriptures state, “God is love,” so the more I’m filled with Love, the more I will love. And not just in my own, human, faulty way, but in a more Divine way. And that, as we’ve been talking about, is our goal this Lent as we journey through this Lent Devotional for Women.
Read all the Lent Devotional for Women posts here.
Esther says
At first these devotions were reaching me in the morning which made sense. For almost a week now they have been coming sometime between 9:00 – 11:00 p.m. so the thing(s) I should be thinking about for the day I’m not getting until the day is over. Is there a way to fix this? Thanks.