Gentleness...selfless humility

That is the very first image that came to my mind outside of the Bible when I pictured 'selfless humility', the next aspect that comprises gentleness: Mother Teresa.

Beth looks at the life of John the Baptist in the Bible to exemplify humility, which she describes as a "correct estimation of yourself" which comes about when we have a "correct estimation of God."

Despite so many trying to exalt him, he continues to proclaim that he was just the voice calling in the wilderness to 'make straight the way of the Lord.' He emphasizes that he is not "the Christ", and that "He (meaning Christ) must become greater, I must become less.' Think about our news headlines in recent years, in fact, why not look throughout history, at those people who just got "too big for their britches" and even though they may have started out with good intentions, the adulation got to them.

Why did not John succumb to this? Beth suggests 3 factors as shown in Scripture:

1. He was filled with the Holy Spirit from birth.

2. He learned humility by example. (Remember how Elizabeth, his mother, described Mary when she saw her as 'the mother of her Lord.'

3. He honoured Christ. ("Behold, the Lamb of God...")

Beth goes on to say that humility IS NOT self-hatred or self-abasement. That is false humility, another form of pride. How do we get this humility?

It comes as we rightly relate to God. When we seek Him and find Him, we will naturally find ourselves bowing in humility as we see ourselves in relation to Him.

Phillipians 2:3 also tells us to 'consider others better than ourselves.' One of these ways is to see them through God's eyes, how God loves them equally. You will also see your sins magnified before their sins.

Mother Teresa impacted my life greatly. Anytime I think of her, I see her gently tending to a poor and sick child. When praised for her 'good works', she always pointed to Jesus, it was for Him and through Him: "Our works are only an expression of our love for Christ." On the topic of living for God, she said, "Our progress in holiness depends on God and ourselves--on God's grace and our will to be holy...."I will be a saint" means I will despoil myself of all that is not God...I will strip my heart of all created things...and make myself a willing slave to the will of God."