hu·mil·i·ty –noun
the quality or condition of being humble
hu·mil·i·ate –verb
to cause (a person) a painful loss of pride, self-respect, or dignity
While (to) humiliate is looked at as such a negative word, its root, humility, is a positive quality. In order to receive humility expect to be humiliated. I had never seen this connection until tonight while reading Colossians at Pierced. The next time you pray for humility be prepared to receive it how it is given. In order for God to grant you humility, he effectively humiliates you.
EDIT://More thoughts on humility
The cross, a very painful way to die. A real point of the cross was complete humiliation of the victim. As the accusers watched Jesus get crucified, they must have thought they had won. But through this, God beat Satan and brought his ultimate downfall, through being humiliated (if you believe in all that). The desire of the arrogant is to be strong and beat your opponent into submission, but Jesus effectively countered this by simply being humble. It is something I don’t think that those with a thirst for power at costs can understand. It baffles them, which in turn humiliates them. It is almost a compounded humiliation for them, getting humiliated by their own humiliation.
makes sense
That sounds about right.
i love what you said about being willing to accept the gift of humility in the form that it is given when we ask for humility…through humiliation. thanks for sharing this, paddy. it makes experiencing humiliation more bearable to think of it not so much as the painful loss of pride, etc…but more as the road i have to take to arrive at the desired end of humility.