Humble & Kind

As seen in the HEARTbeat and the Village Voice

“Humble and Kind”

            I fully expect some people who scan the newspaper titles to read the title of this article and skip right over it!  If you are still with me, I find that a positive checkmark in your column already.

            It takes effort to be humble and kind.  Interacting with others in our area of influence can take its toll, especially when we are the only ones trying to be humble and kind.  Holding our tongue, holding back, holding onto our emotions takes a great deal of effort.  Conversely, it takes very little effort to let our emotions fly with words, even if it’s after we have gotten back into our car or hung up the phone.  But if we are interacting on a social media platform, the hesitation factor is lessened to a great degree or eliminated altogether.  We feel a sense of release when we let someone have it on a posting never having to look at them in the eye while doing it!

            What are our emotional states at the end of any interaction, whether you verbally bombarded someone or bit your tongue?  In a book by Dr. Daniel Goleman titled “Emotional Intelligence,” a contributor states by letting our emotions loose on someone in a negative manner and lead to an inability to reason and comprehend.  This is called Amygdala High Jacking. Once the gate on our emotions is opened, it’s hard to stop the flow.  Then at the end, we are usually remorseful.

            Contrary to being high jacked is the state of remaining in control.  The negative emotions will ebb much quicker, as they have been kept in check.  The time period for recovery is much less when we remain in control.  As Dr. Goleman would put it, we have remained emotionally intelligent.

            A rich young man came to Jesus and asked what he had to do to earn eternal life.  Jesus said to sell everything and give to the poor and then come back and follow Him.  The young man couldn’t do that and went away sad.  The disciples then heard Jesus tell them it is hard for someone so materialistic to enter Heaven.  The man had his eyes on Heaven, but his heart was still on earthly things.

            Peter then reminded Jesus they had given up all earthy things to follow Him.  Then came the identifying statement our of Peter’s mouth: “What then will there be for us?”  Can you see it?  Peter’s focus was not much different than the rich young man’s, only the location of possessions was different.  Peter’s statement gives us a lot to consider in examining our own lives.

            Humble means a great deal, but can best be surmised as putting other’s needs before your own.  Outcomes do not matter to a humble person.  Serving others is foremost in the mind of a humble person.

            Always be humble and kind.  Tim McGraw may have hit on the greatest of scriptural principles as spoken by Jesus:  Love your neighbor as yourself.  I would say, be humble, and love your neighbor more than yourself.  If we do, we are truly living a Christ-like life!