An Unexpected Birthday Gift: Humility
Last year, we started a new tradition in the Novitiate. On a Sister’s birthday, we all go around the table and thank the Sister for something that she has done for us. My birthday was a few weeks ago, and it was a really beautiful experience. As the Sisters were affirming me, I thought to myself that this is not my doing. All of the things that they were thanking me for were a result of the grace that God has given me in my vocation.
As I was reflecting upon this during a time of prayer in front of the Most Blessed Sacrament, I realized that this is what humility is all about. I have often heard humility talked about in terms of knowing who we are before God. I think we can often fall into the trap of thinking of ourselves as worthless, that we are not good enough, or we put ourselves down for the sake of being “humble”. But humility is a gift from God, right? Doesn’t that mean that being humble should fill us with peace and joy? Yes!
So how can we grow in true humility? I think that the key is gratitude. All truth, beauty, and goodness come from God. If we get in the practice of thanking God for the blessings in our lives, then we will realize more and more that all we have is a gift from Him. We realize that acknowledging all of the gifts we have been given is not pride, but actually the proper response to God’s goodness. I hope that we can all grow more in humility, myself included, so I challenge you to thank God for three specific things before you go to bed at night. Along with the true humility this engenders, may you also receive the gift of peace and joy that comes with knowing God’s generosity to us as our Father.
~ Written by Sister M. Evangeline