False Humility

On the heels of yesterday's reflection, I want to share a quote. It actually comes from a historical fiction book about a monastery during the Middle Ages:

"False humility can frustrate God's will as much as pride."

In the book, one of the main characters was being proposed as prior. He'd have to accept the nomination, and then the monks would hold an election. This particular monk had everything—the qualities, the skills, the intelligence—to be prior and completely turn the monastery around from its decline.

But his first reaction was that it would be prideful to accept.

That's when this wisdom came from an older monk, and I think it rings absolutely true.

Plenty of times, our pride does cloud our judgment. We think we're more capable than we are, more essential than we are. We need the humility to step back, listen, and let others lead.

But there are other times—maybe rarer, but real—when we actually are the right person for the job. When we have the skills, the position, the opportunity to serve God's will in a particular moment. When stepping forward isn't about ego.

The question we have to ask ourselves isn't just "Am I being prideful?" but also "Am I being honest about what God might be asking of me right now?"

Sometimes the most humble thing we can do is say yes.