Thoughts on Humility

This post was originally written as part of a letter to a dear friend. The personal parts have been removed, but I felt like sharing the rest of it.

I've been wanting to share this quote from President Hinckley with you. It's something that I've been thinking about as I've been trying to figure out the appropriate balance of acknowledging the good that is with in us and being humble. Previous to finding this quote, I sometimes thought that those two things--acknowledging our strengths/the goodness that is inside us, and humility-- were polar opposites. But I no longer believe that to be the case. I believe that we can acknowledge our goodness while still being humble, and in fact, I feel like we ought to acknowledge our goodness. I know that sounds a little outlandish, but hopefully after reading the quote, you'll see why I've come to that conclusion.

"It is precisely because we understand our divine heritage and potential that we ought to be humble about who we are. Being humble does not mean being weak. It means being teachable. It does not require us to be trampled upon. It means acknowledging where our strengths and abilities come from. It also means recognizing that we are not here on earth to see how important we can become, but to see how much difference we can make in the live of others." (Taken from Way to Be! pg 94-95).

The quote is beautiful, yes? 

Okay, now time to chat about it.

I feel like often times we (we being anyone who is striving to be more humble) fall into the trap of thinking that we cannot acknowledge our strengths without being prideful. But that is not the case. The trick is to be humble about who we are, not to disregard the talents and abilities Heavenly Father has blessed us us with. I'm pretty sure that's what President Hinckley meant when He said, "it is precisely because we understand our divine heritage and potential that we ought to be humble about who we are." We (you, me, and everyone else on this planet) are children of Heavenly Father. By saying that, I know I'm not telling you anything you didn't already know. But think about the divinity that is inherent in each of us because we are children of Heavenly Father. 

When we think about the divinity that accompanies that relationship, then it is easy to be humble about who we are and still feel good about admitting that we have unique strengths and talents. Why is that? Because when we realize we are children of the divine being of the universe, and that He has blessed us with gifts to help us help others, then those gifts become more than a source of personal pride. They become a chance to help lift and bless others. How beautiful is that? Truly beautiful.

But if we never acknowledge those gifts, then how can we bless and lift others? We cannot. By refusing to see the good in ourselves, we are aiding Satan in putting a cap on our potential. What a horrible thing to do.

So I think that we should strive to see the good in ourselves. Not so that we can boast, or to try and get gain, for that is sinful. We know that from Satan's example in the Pre-Earth Life. Rather, I think we should strive to see the good in ourselves so we can utilize those God-given abilities to build His kingdom. We should follow the example set forth by Christ in the Pre-Earth Life, and aim to build the kingdom with the abilities we've been given. When we do this we need to make sure we attribute credit where the credit is due.

So yes, we ought to be humble about who we are, and we ought to let the glory of our good works be to Him to whom they belong. But I also believe that it's okay for us to admit that we have been blessed by a loving Heavenly Father with certain abilities. And I also believe we should search out and nourish those abilities.