And all of you, serve each other in humility, for God opposes the proud but favours the humble.  So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time He will lift you up in honour.  Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you.  1 Peter 5:5-7

Here is a truth that God has been whispering into my ear for the last week:  humility and humiliation are not synonymous.  They are two very different responses we can have when facing certain circumstances. 

Are you working a job that is below your level of education or expertise?  Were you unable to get into the university you wanted?  Did you recently fail a test or exam? Did someone break up with you?  Is someone spreading rumours about you and destroying your reputation? 

These are all circumstances that have the potential to lead us into humiliation or humility.  Allowing ourselves to feel humiliation reveals that we are dwelling on self-pity, pride, and the need to be vindicated.  Choosing to act with humility reveals that we are relying on the promises of God, taking our value and worth only from Him, and trusting Him with the outcome even when people are talking. 

Learning to be humble in the face of hardship and injustice can be so hard, and it is my prayer that God would help me to resist feelings of humiliation.  If you are facing a circumstance right now that is pushing you toward feelings of humiliation, I encourage you to actively pursue humility instead and watch what God can do!  Let’s make that our goal this week.

Michelle