Two senior citizens were talking about the wisdom and humility that come with age. One said, “When I was young, I was very proud. My pride caused me to worry all the time about what other people thought about me. When I got older I said to myself, ‘I don’t care what they think about me.’ And now that I am even older and wiser I realize that they weren’t thinking about me at all.”
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I Samuel 16:7-8 — When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord.”
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
Galatians 6:3-4 — If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, for each one should carry his own load.
Romans 12:3 — For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.
I Corinthians 5:3-5…7 — I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God… For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?
Proverbs 15:33 — The fear of the Lord teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honor.
Luke 14:11 — (Jesus said), “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Romans 15:7 — Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.
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Incline us, O God, to think humbly on ourselves…, to consider our fellow creatures with kindness, and to judge of all they say and do with the charity which we would desire from them ourselves. Amen.
–Jane Austen, English novelist (1775-1817)
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Heavenly Father, give us the humility which realizes its ignorance, admits its mistakes, and recognizes its need. Make us willing to welcome advice and accept rebuke. Help us remember to praise and not only criticize; to sympathize rather than to discourage; to build rather than to destroy; and to think of people at their best and not at their worst. Amen.
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