[This reflection by Helen Ruffhead was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 28/Apr/2024]
On Sundays we have been looking at the seven deadly sins, starting with the number one sin: Pride.
One common error is to think that pride is having a sense of self worth and humility is having a low opinion of yourself. In fact, pride can be even more of a problem for people with low self-esteem. I know from my own experience that when your self-esteem is at rock bottom, one way to feel better about yourself is to look down on others, especially those who are even lower than you in the pecking order. Bullies and dictators are generally people with very fragile self-esteem, but immense pride, who will exact huge revenge against anyone who humiliates them.
The best way to understand humility is to look at Jesus. He had a very healthy sense of self-worth and made quite extraordinary claims about himself, but was totally free from sinful pride. He was so secure in his identity as God’s son that it didn’t bother him whether those around him despised him for being single, childless, poor, working class or a friend of outcasts.
At the Last Supper we read: “Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.” John 13 v 3-5.
Jesus knew how special and important he was, yet was willing to perform the task normally given to the lowest servant. Over the next 24 hours he accepted the most painful and humiliating death, even praying that those carrying out his execution would be forgiven.
As it says in Philippians 2 v 3-8: “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!”
May we be so secure in our identity as God’s children that we are able to imitate the humility of Jesus.
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Last week’s reflection: Do you feed your greed? by Dazz Jones
Contributed by Helen Ruffhead; © Helen Ruffhead