Humble Pie

"It's hard to be humble when you're as perfect as I am." Surely most of us have seen this clever caption, or some derivative of it, on a bumper sticker. I laugh at it most of the time. At other times, I probably judge the driver of the vehicle to be arrogant, not humble like me. In doing the latter, I am showing arrogance myself, not humility. It’s a vicious cycle.

"Humility and the fear of the Lord bring wealth and honor and life." Proverbs 22:4

God loves, defends, and provides for the humble. He loves, defends, and provides for all of us, if we let Him. But, the person who daily and knowingly works at serving Him in humility has a degree of peace, contentment, and joy, that I would like to tap in to. I'm not there yet.

Before I began writing this today, I checked Chip MacGregor's blog. He had posted a list of errors in writing that drive him crazy. I read the list one by one, my ego growing by the second.

"I don't do any of those things."
"Thank goodness I know better than that."
"Who would do that?"

Those are a few of the thoughts I had. I even began to get frustrated because I realized there are serious writers out there that submit work with those types of errors, and they get published! I go over every piece of my writing with a fine-tooth comb. I literally practice parallel construction in my sleep. I can spot a misplaced apostrophe or dangling modifier a mile away. I correct billboards while on vacation. But, I can't get an agent or editor to do anything other than send me a form rejection letter. Or, no letter at all.

That was my thought process. Then I read a rule I didn't know. This rule has been a point of confusion for some years. Chip made it very clear, though. I realized I'd probably been w-w-wr-ong. Probably.

Humility. "When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom." Proverbs 11:2

I have a lot of little issues flying around in my head right now. I think the answer to most of them is: God, it turns out I don't know everything. I need you to keep showing me and leading me. I put my life in your hands. I want to serve and please you. You know what's best for me. In Jesus' name, amen.

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves." Phillippians 2:3