By Pastor Mark Lee

As our country prepares to elect the next President of the United States, the men and women vying for the position face off in a series of televised debates.  These verbal battles are where campaigns are bolstered, promises are made, and plans are outlined.  During these events, the candidates’ speaking abilities, political knowledge, and personalities will be on display.  One thing that most likely will not be on display, however, is their humility.  In fact, some people believe a humble politician is a creature as mythical as a unicorn.

Humility isn’t only rare in politics.  Several social commenters have noted that we are stuck in the era of “me, me, me.”  One has to look no further than social media to see that self-promotion is now the norm.  Haven’t we all taken a selfie at some point?  With so much time being spent focusing on ourselves, is humility even possible?

Author C.S. Lewis once wrote “Humility is not thinking less of yourself.  It is thinking of yourself less.”  Common thought is that humble people are weak or lack confidence.  In reality, a humble individual realizes that their talent is a gift, their success was achieved with help, and their strength is tempered with gentleness.  A humble man gives credit where credit is due, acknowledges that he has limitations, and admits when he makes mistakes.

Luke 4:11 says “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”  True humility is a journey that we can choose, or be forced, to take.  And, the funny thing about this journey is that as soon as we feel we are reaching our destination, we have moved further from the finish line.

VantagePoint Church meets at Roosevelt High School on Sundays at 9:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.