Message from the Directors
May 2010
The Uses of Humility
By noinneB ffeJ
One does not have to live very long before realizing that humility does not come naturally. Much of the reason for this has to do with our eternal, potentially godlike nature. Dallas Willard in his fine book The Divine Conspiracy explains it this way:
"Everyone, from the smallest child to the oldest adult, naturally wants in some way to be extraordinary, outstanding, making a unique contribution, or if all else fails, wants to be thought so—if only for a brief time. The fifteen minutes of fame that Andy Warhol said everyone would someday have, in the modern media-saturated world, may give desperate souls an assurance of uniqueness that could protect them from being "nobody," at least in their own eyes.
"...Unlike egotism, the drive to significance is a simple extension of the creative impulse of God that gave us being... It is outwardly directed to the good [we were made to do]. We are placed in a specific context to count in ways no one else does. That is our destiny" (p. 14-15).
So it is no wonder that these intimations of godhood lead us to pride. But humility is also part of our nature—our human nature. We see this in the words themselves, which share a common origin in the latin word humulus, meaning, "of the soil." Our very humanity (like the Hebrew and Greek words for man as well) reminds us that we came from dust, and will return to it in due course.
These reminders are rarely welcome; they often come to us as rude shocks, as we are confronted with our failures, weaknesses, even sins, and if not our own then those of our fellow humans. If we are destined for such greatness, of what value is humility? It is clearly an important virtue for us to cultivate—after all the Savior described Himself, the greatest of all, as "meek and lowly." and He encourages to emulate this attribute (See Matthew 18:4, 20:27, 23:12; Luke 14:10-11, 18:14). And I would like to suggest that in cultivating this virtue, it has tangible value in our everyday lives. While I could give many reasons for why this is so, I will mention three here.
We learn in Ether 12:24 about the very first thing that happens as we are coming unto Christ: He shows us our weaknesses. That may not seem like much of a benefit at first glance, as it is very painful to see our weaknesses. Yet this is the only way we can repent, improve and grow. Indeed, it is only through the pain of our own sins and weaknesses that we would be motivated to repent in the first place. Do your sins and weaknesses cause you pain? Do you feel like you are falling short of your potential? If so, you are in good company, as these same feelings animated prophets modern and ancient. This prophetic consciousness of their weaknesses was the instigator of great revelations. (See Joseph Smith History 1:29 and Isaiah 6:4 for two examples.) I believe if we do not let our consciousness of our weaknesses lead us to bitterness or despair, similarly important and beautiful revelations await us. This is the first benefit of humility.
The second benefit is related to the first, which is that humility, by helping us see others with more empathy and love, enlarges our souls (see D&C 121:41-42). This increases our capacity for the fuller enjoyment of all kinds of feelings, but it also helps us increase our knowledge. As far as I have been able to determine, the LDS faith is the only religion I know of that teaches so clearly the truth that we can only understand certain ideas and concepts after we follow certain commandments (see Alma 12:10-11). The more obedient we are, the more knowledge we can receive. The less obedient we are, the more knowledge we lose. Are there certain burning questions you have for Heavenly Father that you have not yet received answers to?
I know when that has happened to me, more often than not I have to look at my life more closely (with humility) and try to discover if there are certain experiences that I am trying to avoid, or certain principles that I am not living as fully as I ought. When I seek guidance from Heavenly Father in humility, He shows me (as He promised in the previously cited Ether 12:24) those areas I most need to improve in my life.
As I allow this growth to happen, the very question changes. As C.S. Lewis explained:
"Can a mortal ask questions which God finds unanswerable? Quite easily, I should think. All nonsense questions are unanswerable. How many hours are there in a mile? Is yellow square or round? Probably half the questions we ask—half our great theological and metaphysical questions—are like that" (A Grief Observed, p. 55).
Neal A. Maxwell, expanding on this idea, said:
"The overwhelming majesty of the universe suggested a major communication problem God has with man. Our limited, finite minds could not contain many answers even if God chose to give them to us... Living by faith, then, is not simply a test, but a necessity—until we are ready to receive more divine data... When we often can’t frame the right question, and could not contain the answer if it were given, silence must be God’s only response at times (For the Power is in Them..., p. 29).
Humility is the way to reduce the "communication problem" Elder Maxwell referred to. Paradoxically, by remembering our lowly stature, we can better approach and understand God’s much higher one. By being meek, it allows our souls to expand, enlarge to the point that we can contain those answers we have so long sought.
Finally, humility is a prerequisite to happiness. One of the keys to happiness is gratitude. Gratitude is impossible if we are proud. How unhappy we are if we are living our lives feeling entitled to every good thing we receive, and feeling personally affronted every time things go wrong in our lives.
Another one of the ironic paradoxes embedded in the gospel is that being content with what we have allows the Lord to bless us with even more. As He tells us in D&C 59:15-21:
"And inasmuch as ye do these things with thanksgiving, with... a glad heart and a cheerful countenance... the fulness of the earth is yours, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and that which climbeth upon the trees and walketh upon the earth; yea, and the herb, and the good things which come of the earth, whether for food or for raiment, or for houses, or for barns, or for orchards, or for gardens, or for vineyards; yea, all things which come of the earth, in the season thereof, are made for the benefit and the use of man, both to please the eye and to gladden the heart; yea, for food and for raiment, for taste and for smell, to strengthen the body and to enliven the soul.
"And it pleaseth God that he hath given all these things unto man; for unto this end were they made to be used, with judgment, not to excess, neither by extortion. And in nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things, and obey not his commandments."
Perhaps someday, after we are exalted, we will create a world that actually revolves around us. Until that day arrives, humility provides us with the essential reminder that this world does not.