Have you ever found yourself in a place where your own advice or bossiness has come back to annoy you?
Maybe your child or friend reminds you of something you said when you thought they weren’t listening. Or, for a public speaker like me—it’s haunting to have your thoughts “on the record” because you never know when a friend or colleague is going to offer your own words back to you. Trust me it has happened. MANY TIMES. (Laughing out loud)
To this quandary enter our word of the week: humility. A word that means a modest opinion or estimate of one's own importance or rank.
As a child I was taught to be humble is to be quiet, small, and not get in the way of the men in charge.
But the older I got, I realized that such teaching was a tool of the patriarchy meant to silence voices that are not of the majority opinion.
This kind of humility is not what am I talking about today.
Rather, I want you to think about humility as a tool in our lives that offers us perspective-- perspective to see beyond what is in front of you, perspective to know who you really are, perspective to live honestly.
How often have you gotten an idea in your head about your life that you were so sure about, but then as time unfolded things didn't go exactly as you planned?
How often have you proclaimed a belief with gusto only to find yourself later questioning what you offered so passionately?
How often have you had good intentions, but then failed those who needed your love and support the most?
We are ALL on a journey. We are all doing the best we can.
We are all making mistakes that can hurt others, even unintentionally.
We all start down roads only to find our lives taking turns we might not have ever expected. We all fail at relationships. We all say the wrong things at the wrong times sometimes.
Humility is a way of life where we acknowledge this. Humility gives us and others permission to be HUMAN.
As you seek to walk in humility this week, I'm wondering what do you need to tell the truth about?
Where do you need to say, "I'm sorry" or "I'm doing the best I can?"
Where do you need to forgive a friend or family member for not being what you hoped they would be for you?
Because here is what I know: when you live with this kind of humility your life gives permission to those around you to be just as they are!
And how beautiful communities full of people like this can be-- I certainly want to take my place among such a community. What about you?
XO
Elizabeth
