Humility — the Least Attractive Virtue
Is it possible to find joy without personal achievement?
This one goes against my personal grain.
I have, for most of my life, sought significance in achievement.
And achievement was always in comparison to others.
If I happened to know the people I was competing against, like siblings or classmates, I found it didn’t naturally result in closer bonds.
This is sad and ironic because one of the driving thoughts of high achievers (and this forms in the innocence of childhood) is that achievement brings love.
Everyone loves a winner, right?
At least it shows the natural love-drive built into us.
But as we experience the jealousy and envy both in others toward us and in us toward them, it injures our love-brain chemistry.
Soon ambition replaces the desire to be closer to others, because we have lost interest in this, and we direct our wills toward revenge and to control instead.
This is the shift from living under the banner of Love to living under the banner of Power.
All of this explains why humility — learning to live under the control and direction of a God who is beyond controlling and manipulating — is vital to directing our steps.
And our steps lead to our ultimate destination.
Accepting meekness (aka humility) is seeing that my worth is actually not tied to my achievements.
It is good and fitting to do my best — to not accept mediocre as good enough — however, the motivation or purpose for striving is critical.
If I am seeking acclamation for myself, then, as the love chapter (1 Corinthians 13) states, I am nothing.
On the other hand, if I am using what has been given to me to love others well, then I am living a truly abundant life — and the abundant life is not exclusive just to adults.
He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.