How often do we see Hollywood A-list celebrities, performers, politicians, or professional athletes show true heart-produced humility? Can’t think of many?
How many people show random acts of humility? Like say, when someone is caught off guard with millions of people watching and in the pause of about three seconds you’re asked to respond to very hurtful attacks on you.
I love how Durant is caught off guard with the question, like it shocked him that someone was saying that about him. The reporter has to step in to mention, “well it’s making national headline news.”
Ooohhhh. Ooohhhh. That should change everything. Now I’ve got to be offended. Right? Now I’ve got to be outraged.
And here’s the beauty in that little moment. Most people who are huge Thunder or Durant fans were incredibly outraged. So don’t think for a second that those first remarks weren’t shocking and hurtful to Kevin. He’s a person. Not only an MVP. He gets hurt just like the rest of us. But in that moment, while the rest of us were outraged (and no doubt internally he felt the same) he responded with gentleness, kindness, and humility. He didn’t defend himself. He actually defends the writer saying that is what that guy is supposed to write, if in fact, he is actually not playing to his usual standard. So, he doesn’t defend himself, but tries to even agree with the writer’s assessment that he (Durant) had not been playing in “reliable” fashion compared to his usual performance.
That takes great humility. He not only doesn’t defend himself, but he partly defends the person who took a shot at him.
One of the things I loved about Durant’s response was how caught off guard he was when asked the question. Here he is, already interrupted from simply changing clothes without having forty people asking him any number of questions as well as how he feels about being called a loser basically.
How frustrated and inconvenienced would I be for forty people to interrupt me changing clothes—not to mention questioning me about the economy, various global concerns, evaluations of other NBA players, and then how I feel about a public shot at my own ability?
Durant simply states that he can’t let those comments distract him. He knows he is loved by his family and he knows he is loved by his fans. You see, love wins! (and not like Rob Bell means it)
Another thing to notice—humility doesn’t win you any more news media. The story is dead, except for a few Thunder-faithful people in Oklahoma who love Durant and what he stands for. Nobody cares if he doesn’t get in a tizzy and fire back some shots. It’s not newsworthy for a person to respond with gentleness, kindness, and humility. Move on. Find another celeb that’s got the chance to crumble.
Humility—What would you give for it to characterize you?
I say this easily, because first, I don’t believe it characterizes me very often. And second, because it seems to be a forgotten trait of virtue replaced by the more eye-catching trait of self-esteem and pride. Most of us never think through what circumstances could be used to produce humility in our lives. We very easily think through what circumstances could build pride. And when you begin to look at history, seeing that the first 4,000 to 6,000 years of human existence (depending on your view of origins/time) there had never been such a fixation on self-esteem and pride. But only in the last thirty years has this growing fixation on self-esteem and pride roused its head.
Think through this: Would you as a parent rather see more pride or more humility developed in your children? (Have you ever thought through it that way?)
In looking at your life, how much time is spent in accumulating stuff (power, position, possessions, influence, freedom of time) that puffs up your pride versus time spent in cultivating humility?
How much of what we do cultivates a worldly pride versus cultivating a Godly humility?
How do I respond when life doesn’t make sense? Is it with the pride of shaking my fist angrily at God for His failure or a softened heart in cultivating humility?
How do I respond when circumstances go against me and it seems life is not working out the way I thought it would? Is it with the pride of complaint in telling God how He has not met up to my expectations and fulfillments or a heart of humility understanding the world is not about me and my desires, but instead Him and His desires.
Many of us can survive the pleasures and comforts of great success, but get close to turning on God when some of those things are ripped away from us.
Humility—What would you give for it to characterize your children?
Are you preparing your child to stand before Christ in utter humility one day in the future? Then what are you doing today to mortify pride in their life and to cultivate humility?
My boys are in the fast lanes of baseball here in south Tulsa. To be competitive with these powerhouse high school teams (Jenks, Union, Broken Arrow, Owasso, Bixby) you’ve got to get them started early (at least that’s the thinking). Everyone knows Tiger Woods’ dad got him started extremely young…and look how he turned out. Right?
I’ve tried to use some of the strike outs, errors, mistakes, and small failures to help them to see and appreciate humility. Yet I feel this strong pull to always tell them they’re great—no matter how they perform. Do you see how this philosophy has encapsulated our thinking? There is nothing wrong with encouraging young kids to keep trying and to tell them they are incredibly valuable to us and to God no matter how well they compete in different forms. But how much more important to help them to see and embrace true Biblical humility!
What are my ambitions for my children? Are those ambitions filled with Biblical qualities flowing out of Christ-like humility or do I really just want to see my kids succeed immensely in the world—along with attending church? One of those avenues of ambition requires so much intentional investment in time and conversation about Christ and His cross as the most humility-embracing center of all to live for.
Is Biblical humility, flowing out of their true identity in loving God and loving others the supreme goal for your children? In what ways are you cultivating humility in their hearts and minds?
What if we found out that all our efforts were actually just building up and supporting worldly pride that doesn’t know how to respond when difficulty, suffering, or attack come?
Is there the chance that we’re pushing our children into avenues full of sinful pride and thus keeping them far from environments that produce humility?
Jaw-Dropping, Soul-Captivating, Beauty-Intensifying, Eternity-Shaping Humility
Philippians 2:1-11
Did you get that?
“Do nothing of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself…and He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”
Humility—what would you give for it? You don’t have to—what was needed has already been given for you in your place.
Jesus took on our sinful pride and our incessant grasping for prideful things, humbling Himself because He knew we would never want to nor be able to have the Godly humility necessary for inheriting the Kingdom of God.
Sankie P. Lynch
sankie@nbchurch.info
1. Many thoughts on "Humility" stirred from the book by C.J. Mahaney, Humility.
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