Before the state of alarm shut down life as we knew it in Spain, I went for a bike ride almost daily. On my last ride, my son and I went with a neighbor–a Spanish guy who speaks English well. During a rest break, he asked me, “How do you say ‘humilde’ in English?” “Humble,” I replied. “This whole experience has made me more humble.”
This conversation came to my mind almost daily during our quarantine, which began the day after our bike ride. I pondered the question, “How do I say “humble?” The answer came to me in ways I didn't’ expect. As the world locked down, lots of friends soon bombarded me with questions about streaming, cameras, and switchers. I was quickly humbled about how quickly that world had changed since I was in the States— and more still since I was a media pastor. I was humbled to say, “I’m not sure.” Then I got to reading and studying as I recognized this blind spot in my life.
In Ephesians 4:2, Paul encourages us to act in humility, gentleness, and patience towards each other. Because of the quarantine, my interaction with everyone outside of my family and my grocer has been on social and virtual media. These are places where a lack of these spiritual fruits can easily bring about anger, jealousy, and bitterness. I believe it doesn’t have to be that way.
I believe this pandemic has served to bring a lot of people to humility, and truly humbled people tend to ask for help and grow. They fill in the gaps. They address the blind spots. They make the world better!
So it is with you... How do you say humble?