Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Humility that isn't really humility


  1. Growing up Christian, you learn to be humble.  You learn to not think too much of yourself 'cause 1) you're not God, 2) your days are finite, and 3) you're no better than your neighbor.   As a performer, I hear a lot of praise, (after I walk off stage or when I'm on set), and I've had to do a lot of soul-searching about how to embrace humility in an industry that exalts people and itself.  This is what I've learned:

I've learned that humility isn't about not thinking too much of yourself, or thinking less of yourself.  Humility is about understanding who God created you to be, and being secure in that, and it's about being secure with what you are not.  It is about understanding that your identity doesn't come from what you do, while also understanding what you're absolutely amazing at and sharing it with the world—not because you need people’s approval or have a narcissistic need to share, but because to hide it would be selfish; it would be denying the world of the gift that God gave you to share.  

Humility is practicing until you put in your 10,000 hours and practicing some more because you recognize that you can always get better.  Alternately, humility is choosing to not practice sometimes because your grandma needs a ride to the store, because rest is the yang of work, or because you understand that your gift(s) to the world is only a small part of the reason for your existence.  

Today, I stand and walk in humility.  I thank God that I am incredibly smart, delightfully funny, and creatively thoughtful. 







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