As Told to Jessica Hanewinckel
Humility, from the Latin humus, means being close to the earth. It involves being honest about ourselves so we can recognize when we are trying to control or manage others. It is the practice of letting go and maintaining open hands—a freedom from the need to always have our own way. This posture allows us to say, I don’t know, but I’m willing to learn. Seeking humility makes us teachable, which is why it is the most foundational of all virtues and essential for spiritual transformation. Without a teachable spirit, we cannot truly progress in character formation.
St. Augustine emphasized humility as a primary Christian virtue. This is because the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus redefined the concept entirely. However, a cultural shift has occurred; for nearly a century, humility has been sidelined even within religious contexts. In an era where narcissism and greed often dominate, instances of common courtesy feel like tiny specks of light on an ocean of darkness. Overcoming the opposite of humility, such as recognizing self-glorifying motives, remains a significant hurdle for many leaders today.
Why is humility such a disappearing virtue? People might give lip service to it, but in our culture we have tended to have very different views of what makes a person important or helpful. Jesus would probably have a tough time getting a job in a lot of religious settings today.
In our contemporary context, we often think of leadership as domination and control. But in terms of humility, leadership is serving and valuing those we work with. It’s giving them a platform and bringing them to areas where they are gifted and accenting that. If they succeed, you’re glad. If the church down the street succeeds, you’re glad. You know the old story says, Well, we didn’t do very good this year, but praise God, the Baptist church down the street didn’t either. That’s not leadership.
We learn to be humble by valuing others. And when I learn to serve another person, it levels me into a relationship that is more human, and therefore more humble. It’s really pretty simple. Read the Gospels to see how Jesus led, because he did lead, and he did have authority and confidence. But he didn’t have to put down everybody else in order to be great. And I think it helps to just see someone who is a real leader. If we watch those things, we will learn about humility. It doesn’t mean we’ll be humble. But you know, knowledge of it and seeing others model it helps.
This is especially true for leaders. Be brave enough to seek humility. Be strong enough to seek humility. Be courageous enough to seek humility, and we will grow. It increases our sense of community, and none of us can do this on our own.
Richard J. Foster is the founder of Renovaré, a Christian nonprofit organization dedicated to helping individuals and churches engage in intentional Christian spiritual formation. He is the author of Learning Humility: A Year of Searching for a Vanishing Virtue (IVP).
