What is humility?

The definition of humility need not include timidity or becoming a wallflower. Instead, humility simply requires A man to think of his abilities and his actions as no greater, and no lesser, than they really are. A man to be completely honest with himself and not self-degrade himself, as his honesty assesses what are, and to what magnitude he possess talents and gifts, struggles and weaknesses.A man to be content to let others discover the layers of his talents without having to boast about them. A man to lack arrogance, not lack aggressiveness in the pursuit of achievement.Humility coming from the word humus, earth. Lastly requires people to be down to earth.

Humility is thus nothing but the absnece of pride :)

The Pharisees and The Tax Collector

In Biblical times, tax collectors were known for using their position to cheat others in order to gain wealth for themselves. But Pharisees on the other hand, were supposed to be the religious leaders of the day. Jesus, however was not happy with the way the Pharisees were leading, because they were more concerned with making it appear that they were doing everything right, rather than having the right attitude in their hearts (Luke 11:37-54).

The Pharisee in Jesus’ story was so focused on the tax collector’s sin that he forgot to ask God if he had any sin in his own life. The tax collector howerver had a humble and repentant heart. He was willing to admit that he was sinful and asked God to forgive him. As a result Jesus said that it was the tax collector who went home forgiven and in right relationship with God, rather than the Pharisee.

Moral - It is often easier to notice when others are doing wrong than it is to see our own faults.

Why does one need to be Humble?

There are about 49 different qualities, humility is among the most important because it provides the backdrop for so many other things.

If arrogance destroys relationships, humility is the bridge that restores them.Humility is the antidote to cynicism and essential to building healthy teams.Humility is found in the acknowledgement that our lives are intertwined with others. It includes the recognition that others have made investments in our lives that we cannot fully repay. The result of this acknowledgement is the realization that our quality of life is linked to the quality of our relationships. It reduces anxiety. it encourages more openness and paradoxically, it enhances one's self-confidence. It opens a window to a higher self.

Humility is impcted by .....

Family Faith School, friends, and society Personal commitment

Family

Closest people

First education

Faith

Mostly from oursleves

From our values

School, friends and society

Humans are social beings Bad society destroys good habits

Personal commitment

Set our expectations and limitations We have to choose

HUMBLE vs ARROGANCE

MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD

Donating all the high valued Iranian carpets in president’s office to one of the mosques in Tehran and replacing them with the low cost ordinary carpets.

Joins the cleaning staff of the municipality for cleaning the streets in the area where his home and the Presidency office locates.

He always told his minister that he shall remain poor and to not take any advantage of his office.

The wealth and property he owned was a Peugeot 504 car, model 1977, an old small house inherited from his father forty years ago in one of the poorest zones in Tehran.

His accounts with a zero balance and the only money comes in to his a/c was from his salary from the university as a lecturer with an amount of US $250 only.

He doesn't take his personal salary with the argument that all the wealth belongs to the nation and he is the safeguard over it.

MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD

the bag the president brings with him every day, which contains his breakfast; some sandwiches or bread with olive oil and cheese prepared by his wife and eats and enjoys it with all happiness, while he stopped all the deliveries of the special food used to come for the president.

he changed his personal carrier "The President's Aircraft" to a cargo aircraft in order to save the spending from the public treasury and he ordered that he will be flying with the ordinary airline in the economic class.

Whenever he has to stay in any of the hotels he asks them to make sure not to give him a room with any big bed because he doesn't like to sleep on beds but rather likes to sleep on the ground on a simple mattress with a blanket.

MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD

How can humility be developed?

Humility is a Choice Realized our imperfections Consider others before yourself Listen to others Count Your Blessings Stop Comparing Yourself to Others Recognize your own faults. Don’t worry about status

How can we encourage others to be more humble?

Help Others Thank Others Appreciate the Talents of Other People Redirect Praise Demonstrate empathy and humility toward others

Humility and UPH’s commitment to Godly characters

God’s eyes are on the humble (Isaiah 66:2). His grace drenches the humble He takes time to guide and teach the humble (Psalm 25:9). He exalts those who are humble (Luke 14:11). He gives salvation to the humble (Psalm 149:4). He smiles when we don’t think more highly of ourselves than we ought to

think (Romans 12:3), and tells us to throw away our pride and associate with people of low position” (Romans 12:16). Humility opposes what God detests: Pride

Humility sees God and people with perfect vision. Humility follows the example set by Jesus Humility describes the people whom God uses God Loves the humble and Humility kickstarts all sorts of goodness.

The Little Christmas Star by Pedro Pablo Sacristán

Of all the stars that shine in the sky, there had always been one that was brighter and more beautiful than the others. The whole sky's planets and stars looked on in admiration, wondering what could be the important mission that this star was to carry out. And the star Itself did exactly the same, aware of its own incomparable beauty. The speculation ended when a group of angels came to the star:"Hurry. Your time has arrived, the Lord calls upon you to carry out an important mission."And the star went as fast as he could and found out that her mission was to show where the most important event in history would take place. The star was filled with pride, and dressed herself in her most beautiful costume of glint and bedazzlement. She proceeded to follow the angels, who would show her the right place. The star shone with such strength and beauty that she was seen from all parts of the World,And so much so that a group of wise men decided to follow her, knowing that she must be pointing to something important. For days, the star followed the angels, showing the way, and she was eager to discover what place she was going to illuminate. However, when the angels stopped, and with great joy said "Here it is!" the star could not believe it. There were no palaces, no castles or mansions, no gold or jewels. Only a small, half-abandoned, dirty, smelly stable."Oh, no! Not that! I can not waste my shine and beauty lighting up a place like this! I was born for something greater than this!“ And though the angels tried to calm her, the star's fury grew and grew, and so much pride and arrogance bubbled up inside her that she began to burn. And thus she consumed herself and disappeared. Well, what a problem! There were only a few days left before the big moment, and they were without a star. The angels, in a panic, ran To Heaven to tell God what had happened. After thinking for a moment, God said:"In that case, search for the the smallest, most humble and joyful of all the stars you can find, and bring it here.“

The Little Christmas Star by Pedro Pablo Sacristán

Surprised by the order, but unquestioning, because the Lord often did this kind of thing, the angels flew through the heavens insearch of the smallest, most joyful star. It was a tiny star, as small as a grain of sand. He knew so little that he gave no importance to his brightness, and he spent his whole time laughing and chatting with his friends, the biggest stars. When this star was brought to the Lord, he was told: "The most perfect star in creation, the most wonderful, the most brilliant has failed due to its pride. I thought that you, theMost humble and joyful of all the stars, should be the one chosen to take its place and light up the most important event in history: the birth of baby Jesus in Bethlehem."The star was filled with so much emotion and joy that he had already arrived over Bethlehem, led by the angels, before he realised that his brilliance was negligible and that, however much he tried, he could not illuminate things much better than a firefly could. "Ok,” he said to himself."How come I didn't think before accepting this assignment? I'm the smallest star there is! It is totally impossible for me to do as well as that great shining star ... The shame of it! I'm going to mess up an opportunity that all the stars in the heavens would have loved to have had."Then he thought again, "all the stars in the heavens." Of course they would love to take part in something like this! And Without hesitation, the start took to the skies with a message for all his friends: "On December 25th , at midnight, I want to share with you all the greatest glory that can exist for a star: to light up the birth of God! I will await you in the little town of Bethlehem, by a small stable."And indeed, none of the stars rejected this generous invitation. So many stars joined together, that they formed the most beautiful Star of Christmas that would ever be seen, even though the little star couldn't even be seen amid all the brilliance. And happy at his excellent service, and as a reward for his humility and generosity, God transformed this little messenger into a beautiful shooting star, and gave him the gift of granting wishes every time saw his beautiful trail gleaming in the night sky was seen.

The Unworthy King

There was once a rich, powerful, and intelligent King. But what was most noticeable about him was his arrogance. Such was his pride that he felt no one was a worthy rival with whom to share his favourite pastime, chess. So the King sent a message across the land, stating that he would give a tenth of his fortune to whoever could prove to be worthy of playing against him. In return, if the King considered that person to be unworthy, he would have their head chopped off.

Many risked their lives to challenge the proud King. Rich or poor, stupid or intelligent, the King always found them to be unworthy; they weren't good players, they couldn't match his command of the game. As time passed, one reckless challenger after another was done away with. The King felt satisfied that there was no one in the whole land capable of taking him on.

Years later, a poor beggar came to the palace, intending to play against the King. People had tried to dissuade the beggar, trying to save him from a certain death. But it was no good, and he came before the King, who, seeing the beggar's ragged appearance, couldn't believe that it had even crossed the man's mind that he could be a worthy rival.

"What makes you think you deserve to play against someone like myself, slave?“ said the King, irritated, and calling for the executioner."That I forgive you for what you're about to do. Would you be capable of that?“ the beggar calmly answered.

The King was stunned. He would never have expected anything like that. But the more he thought about it, the more the man's words made sense. If he were condemned to death the beggar would be right, and would have shown himself to be the better man due to his capacity to forgive. And if the beggar was not executed, he would come away with both his life and a reputation for being a worthy adversary...

Without having yet moved a piece, the King knew he had already lost the match.

"How did you manage to beat me without even playing? Whether I play with you or not, everyone will have seen my lack of dignity,“ said the King, beaten.

The Unworthy King

"You are mistaken, your Majesty. Everyone is already aware of your infamy; it is not people who are unworthy, it is their deeds. For years your actions have shown how disgraceful and unjust you have become, judging the worth of others at a whim.“

The King understood how dishonourable he had become, and he became remorseful for his crimes and his arrogance. He looked into the beggar's eyes. The King saw such wisdom and dignity in those eyes that, without saying a word, he handed the beggar his crown, swapped clothes with him, and made him the new King. Dressed in the beggar's rags, and with eyes full of tears, his last command as King was to be imprisoned forever in the deepest dungeon, as a penance for all his crimes.

However, the new King was so just and so wise that only a few years later he set the old King free. His sincere repentance had become the best accompaniment to his great intelligence, and from his hands came the best ever laws for that long-suffering Kingdom.

Moral - Everyone has the same worth and dignity, regardless of their power, riches, or talents. Only deeds are unworthy, notpeople.

Bibliography

http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_69.htm http://artofmanliness.com/2008/05/25/the-virtuous-life-humility/ http://cfthemagazine.com/2011-04/the-color-of-humility/ http://freestoriesforkids.com/children/stories-and-tales/little-christmas-star http://freestoriesforkids.com/children/stories-and-tales/unworthy-king http://www.kidsofintegrity.com/humility-5 http://www.calebbreakey.com/tag/humility/

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