Updates from the Spiritual Communities

By Jake H.

I once heard a wise old man named Terry M. give the best definition of humility I have ever heard. It went as follows: Humility is not thinking low of yourself; it is not thinking of yourself at all. In the Bible there is a parable told by Jesus about humility that was presented in this week’s Thursday morning chapel service. It is a long parable and has many examples of humility, but there was one that stuck out to me. In one Jesus says: When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. This could easily be mistaken as “Assume others are higher than you, so know your place,” but in fact it is a perfect example of not thinking of yourself. In sitting in the place of least honor you leave the seat open for another as a gesture of thinking of the best for others instead of you desires. Humility is not assuming that there is someone “higher” or “lower” than you, it is to take yourself out of the comparison. The hardest part in humility that I find is comparing myself to others. This is because if during the comparison I deem them as under me I will be less apt to seek the greater good for them. On the other hand when I take myself out of the picture I can see that there is no higher and lower and my effort is applicable to all it may help.