Humility is a virtue, but false humility is not. And all too often in the name of remaining humble we curse ourselves and who God has created us to be. It should not be this way. True humility is seeing ourselves as God does, and we might have to practice regularly blessing ourselves to gain this vision.
To be sure, we don’t want pride to cause us to think of ourselves better than we are. And often we must remember our common humanity and not attempt to hide behind our elaborate fig leaves. And this is usually done by reminding ourselves of the depth of our sin and depravity.
But while there is truth here, we must not let it blind us to the deeper truth. Our story starts with original goodness and not original sin. As such, while we humbly recognize our sins, we don’t forget the original glory God has given us to reveal.
In fact, we’re essentially calling God a liar when we believe our sin and brokenness are the truest parts of who we are. We’re born to shimmer, and born to shine. And the work of Christ is to redeem these very parts of ourselves for his glory.
And we participate in his work of redemption when we can name and bless the goodness he created us to embody. This is not to whitewash or otherwise downplay the reality of our sin, or its consequences. But it’s refusing to let these have the final verdict on our soul.
Perhaps this is simply acknowledging our gifts and the unique ways God has crafted us. It might also include speaking a blessing over our body, heart, and mind – our very being that enables us to minister love to others.
We might inadvertently find ourselves cursing what God has called good when we’re not intentional about blessing ourselves.
In the end, continue to humble your pride and recognize the reality of your sin. But don’t forget the deeper truth of the glory God has given you to reveal. Bless yourself often as a reminder of this truth.
