So you want to be humble.

If you read last week’s Weekend Fun post, you’ve probably been trying to stop saying those 5 Things You Should Not Say if You Want to be Humble. How’s it working for you? With a whole week to work on it, you’re a pro, right?

Well, before you get too uppity about how humble you are, consider a few more additions to the list.

7 more things you should not say…

if you want to be humble

1. “Me first!”

Don’t insist on first place or having the best seat. Don’t remind others, “I was here first!”   DON’T take the biggest piece of cake (unless it’s chocolate).

And don’t cut in line.

You should have learned this in grade school.  Jesus says, “The first shall be last and the last shall be first.”  Well now, that’s not the way it works at Walmart on a pay day. Can you see the line lady telling people, “You’ll have to go to the end of the line since you were first…?”

 2. “Let’s talk about how pretty I am!”

This is a line one of my favorite movies, Good Boy. Once again, it is calling undue attention to yourself AND monopolizing the conversation.

Enough said about that.

And I’m not even going to mention Facebook…

 3. ”Too bad for you!”

Okay, this is one that my kids think is fun to say…  Who came up with this one,  Hannah Montanna?  This is really not a very humble thing to go around saying–not to mention it’s just a tad lacking in the compassion and empathy department.

4. THE BIG SIGH…”Move over and let me do it…!!!”

This un-humble command is a serious temptation for frustrated parents. Sometimes your vocal chords just itch to let loose. Steam starts to come out your ears and the roar of a lion is welling up from the pit of your stomach. You think, “This kid is lucky if they just get THE BIG SIGH.”

But really, what are you communicating?  You might as well say,  “Get out the way, let me get in there and do it right.” Because that’s what it feels like people are thinking when they give you the BIG SIG and  the get-out-the-way kind of talk.

Because we have good manners, we would never call someone Hopeless or Useless to their face. But we have no problem with whipping out THE BIG SIGH.  Same goes for that snide under-your-breath laugh. And eye-ball rolling.

Nobody should say or do stuff like that.

Yikes, but we do.

5.  ”Poor, pitiful me!  I have it so bad!”

Now, here’s one that you may not think of as prideful at first, but on further examination you’ll see that it falls under calling undue attention to yourself.

If we have to feel bad, we want somebody to feel bad with us…do you know what I mean?  Sometimes I like to have a pity party. I even send out invitations…

Did you get one?

6.   “What I want is more important than what you want.”

This one we usually have better manners than to say out loud, but we sure can say it without saying it. It can come out in a passive-agressive sneaky kind of way. Or it can come out with a rant, a whine, or a decree.

These are times when it would be handy to remember that the Bible says, “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves” (Philippians 2:3).

Funny thing is, I usually only remember this verse after the fact…

7. “I’d love you more if you would just…”

Never, ever say this. These words never slide down right, in fact, they can really choke you up…  And they can break off a chunk of your heart that’s hard to get back.

Humility is hard

See, I told you this is an uncomfortable topic.  Just so you know, eating the proverbial humble pie will not actually make you humble. 

You have to do it the hard way…

• “…with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love” (Ephesians 4:2)

We all want to be the best we can be.  I know I do, but to be honest with you, I’ve got a long way to go.   Humility comes when I can rest in the quiet confidence of  Christ. Emptying my heart of selfishness, I can inch a little closer when I act in a way that demonstrates that others really are more important.

And I get a little closer when I have the humility to not need others to think I am the greatest thing since disposable razors to feel okay about myself. <Tweet this.

Oh this is hard stuff.

A woman who is fabulously humble doesn’t need everyone to tell her how excellent she is.  In fact, she does all kinds of excellent things and you never even know it was her.  Now that’s slick!

And she never says any of those things I told you not to say if you want to be humble!

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A big shout out to Rebecca Webb for the wonderful drawing!