The Power of Father LoveSample

The Power of Humility

We have all seen this a hundred times: a kid on the playing field scores a goal and, in his excitement, he goes overboard in celebrating the score. The coach runs over to him, wags his finger, and shouts “Stop!”. In his exuberance, the player’s reaction has turned all the attention to himself, without regard for the fact that the whole team contributed to that score. The coach's aim is to teach his kids humility. That is a crucial part of good fathering.

Arrogance, boastfulness, and prideful attitudes are commonplace today, not only in athletics, but everywhere we turn. Self-pride, ethnic and racial pride, cultural and family pride, national pride, religious pride, church, and denominational pride abound. Pride is not from the Father. It is of the world.

Parents have a challenging time countering contemporary culture where pride is so pervasive. Fortunately, we have the ultimate example of humility… Jesus. He humbled Himself in coming down to earth, becoming like us, only without sin. He suffered abuse and rejection. Then, He gave His life to save us from eternal damnation.

A key to raising a child in today’s social environment is to model humility. They need to see it to be it. Practicing humility consistently begins with love - loving others and esteeming them as better than oneself. That is the nature of agape love. For “Love does not boast and is not proud” (1 Cor. 13:4).

This challenges us fathers to think carefully about our behaviors. What does our child see when we talk about our accomplishments, our heritage, or our favorite team? Do they see humility or pride? Humility in all things is a radical idea in today’s boastful world. Yet, it is the way to blessings. God exalts the humble, but He opposes the prideful.

What areas of your life do you need to change to model the humility that comes from the Father?