Have you ever been in line and granted your spot for someone to cut ahead of you? In a world that’s so self absorbed doing so may appear foolish. However, Paul writes that we should count others as more significant than ourselves. In other words he is talking about humility. By this he is not meaning to think less of ourselves, it is thinking of ourselves less and thinking more of others. Letting someone cut in line is a simple act, but truly being humble and putting others first will many times be a little harder than this. Humbleness is to obey God. It is to forgive others even when they don’t deserve it, to empty yourself of who you are and pour love into others, it is to shine the true love of Jesus even when we may not feel like it. Humility is what actually brings joy. The secret to practicing joy is walking in humility and forgetting yourself.

Humility is the pathway to joy.

1.  Humility is not grasping, it’s emptying.‍

Opposite of what society would have you think, humility is the way to joy in your life. By forgetting and emptying yourself, you pour out the goodness God instills in you for the world to benefit. It is an everyday practice and decision to choose Jesus as the focal point of your life rather than yourself. Instead of grasping to become “more,” we must remember to be more like Jesus and empty ourselves.  

Philippians 2:3-4 NIV

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

2. Humility is not opportunistic, it’s obedient.

God cannot teach you everything about Him on the mountain top, and certain things you’ll only learn in the valley. Even when it looks impossible, God is with you. Embrace the journey.  Don’t miss the opportunity to practice obedience in all circumstances. Jesus is the perfect picture of humility. When we have His mindset we start being selfless instead of selfish.

We can’t fight the good fight of faith in our own strength. However, like Paul, we can draw our strength from the joy of the Lord, in any situation. God placed us on this earth to glorify Him, and to serve others. The journey of following Christ requires a constant practice of humility, whether we are on the mountain top or in the valley.  We are called to live life genuinely and to step out of our prayer closet to work out our salvation in community! Showing humility is always more powerful than just talking about it because humility doesn’t flash, it shines.