Strength in meekness

MAIKE BYRD. CHILDREN'S EDITOR

Quick, right off the top of your head, pick three qualities you need to be really successful in life. ... Well, what did you pick?

Did your choices include humility, meekness, or modesty? These qualities may not be the ones that first come to mind as desirable in today's hard-driving, competitive world, where getting advantages over others and winning in the race to the top seem all-important. Yet some of the greatest people humanity has known have also been the humblest and meekest, and the least self-righteous.

As a matter of fact, recent research has shown that humility in business leaders is vital for an organization's long-term success. Jim Collins, in his bestseller, Good to Great, devotes a whole chapter to this topic and lists humility as one of two essential attributes of a top-level CEO.

Although many people equate arrogance and self-righteousness with a certain kind of strength, the contrary is true. Far from being pushovers or doormats, truly humble people are the ones who exude strength—without any pride or brazenness. It's a strength that is not their own, but comes from a greater power. One dictionary defines humble as "reflecting, expressing, or offered in a spirit of deference or submission." That there should be strength in meekness and submission seems counterintuitive. But the question is, Whom or what are we submitting to?

Real humility is yielding to God's will, to a divine righteousness or rightness. It's admitting and acknowledging that the infinite divine Mind is the source of our capabilities and accomplishments. What freedom comes when we realize that it is not the personal ego or I that acts, but it is God who works in us and through us. The transforming power of this kind of humility has been proved again and again in the many experiences of writers and contributors published in this magazine. As servants of God and their fellow beings, they've put on "the apron of humility," as the Apostle Peter describes it in the New Testament (I Pet. 5:5, Good News Bible), and have gotten down to work letting their God-given understanding shine forth to heal and brighten the world.

The editors of the Sentinel humbly submit this issue to you, our readers.

WHAT I SAY UNTO YOU I SAY UNTO ALL, WATCH.—JESUS

The Christian Science Sentinel was founded in 1898 by Mary Baker Eddy, and its mission remains the same: "to hold guard over Truth, Life, and Love." The Sentinel continues to report on the unlimited ways that the healing power and presence of the Christ activates, uplifts, and transforms the lives of everyday people around the world.

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

ITEMS OF INTEREST

July 4, 2005

Contents

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit