"And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all." (Mark 9:35, KJV)

A friend remarked to me that amongst the famous faces you see on the television these days, there are some people who haven’t done anything of note to be given that title. They are getting more than their “fifteen minutes of fame.”

Have you ever seen puppies in a box or a cage? When people come over to look at them, each one climbs on the back of another to try to get as close to the onlookers as possible. It is human nature to want to have pride of place in any situation.

Society has even gone so far as to call it “ambition.” Self-promotion has become about seeing who has the biggest toys or the most money to impress others. Even though people are fickle in their praise we continue to climb on the backs of others just like those puppies.

As with many things we do, it is not just the act, but the motivation behind the act that is the problem. God doesn’t judge by the outward appearance, but the hearts of man. He is interested in why.

Humility fits most of us about as well as a cheap suit. Standing in the shadows is for monsters in fairy tales and scary stories. We want to be in the light where everyone can get a glimpse of us. Unfortunately, everyone can’t stand above the rest because they will have to be standing on someone else.

God calls us to the cross of humility. It is referred to as a cross because it is not easy to bear. In essence, displaying humility means to do good without requiring the need for praise.

Think about God for a minute. He sent His only son to die for our sins on the cross. People didn’t even believe that Jesus was the Son of God let alone believe anything else he said. They even accused him of working for Satan.

So, what does God do? He continues to try to reach us throughout our lives. People give others credit for His deeds, calling it “luck” and “chance.” But, He doesn’t get angry, only continues to love us unconditionally. If that were you or I, the world would have been doomed a long time ago.

So, you see, humility is not an easy task. Even though you want to please God, your mind may be telling you that always living in the shadows won’t be enough for you. We see lack of appreciative praise as being taken for granted.

To conquer the cross of humility, get and stay close to God. It is not human nature to want to do good things without ever being recognized for them. Only the Holy Spirit can replace our self-serving attitudes with a heart for serving others.

Now, it is not wrong to want to hear someone say “Well done.” God recognizes that also. Jesus did tell the disciples that the one who wanted to be first had to serve others without regards to themselves. God will exalt everyone to where they need to be in due season. We don’t have to try to do it ourselves by grabbing glory meant for our Father.

With that said, humility is a daily challenge. To conquer it, don’t think about it. Concentrating on God keeps the light off of us and in the right place. We get a chance to learn all about the humble nature of our loving Father and desire to be just like Him.

God never said that following Him would be easy or the crosses that He chooses for us to bear. That is one reason that Jesus said that anyone who doesn’t love the Father more than anything else can’t be a disciple. It sounds harsh but Jesus knew the commitment that cross-bearing would entail. He wasn’t saying not to love others but to know that even if they didn’t follow, you would still go with God.

Humility is a plank on the bridge of life that we will all revisit more than once in our lifetime. But, rest assured, God will be there to help us with each step of the lesson.  

Garnet Miller
		About the author:
		Garnet Miller is a part-time freelance writer. She has been published in three FaithWriters anthologies, Associated Content, a coffee table book entitled “Letters to My Mother” and a soon to be released anthology entitled, “Delivered” as well as a Christian newspaper. She is managing editor and writes two columns for Extreme Women magazine. Her main focus is ghostwriting. She is a married mother of two teenage boys living in North Carolina.