Article May 22, 1965 Issue

The Assurance of Humility

NELL WASEY MARTIN

Humility is a word which I had frequent reason to wrestle with as a child. Whenever I achieved a slight degree of confidence in myself, someone or other would always remind me to keep humble. This was very upsetting, especially when my belief was that humility meant abject self-depreciation. How could I ever achieve success, I wondered, if I was never intended to claim any capability for myself or admit to adequacy in any field?

Any clear-thinking person can immediately see what the mistake was in my case—a false concept of humility. It was necessary for me to learn to keep humble, but first I had to learn what true humility is.

Jesus, who moved through the towns of Judea and Galilee with complete assurance, adequate to the innumerable demands made upon him, said (John:30): "I can of mine own self do nothing." and (John 5:19), "The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise." And Paul, who spent the latter part of his life in dedicated and useful service to his fellowmen, wrote (Phil. 4:13), "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

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