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Humility is only a short fall away
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By Mary Regina Morrell
"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. [Philippians 2:3]"
Today I did something I have never done before in my entire life. I fell out of bed.
One second I was lying comfortably on my side, in a sleepy haze, and the next second I was face down on the floor having pulled all the sheets and blankets with me.
As I lay there in a groggy state, expecting the herniated disc in my back to start screaming with pain at any moment, I wondered if I might be dreaming. After all, normal adults don't just fall out of bed as a regular occurrence.
But it was all too real, a moment of humbling like few others, and since I soon realized I was lucky to be in no pain at all, the natural thing to do was to chuckle a muffled chuckle into the blankets that cushioned my fall and begin my struggle to get untangled and upright.
I tried to recall the details of what had happened but all I remembered was a sensation like that of the bed being pulled out from under me, which was impossible.
Of course, it could have been that I was pushed. No one would blame a guardian angel who is as overworked as mine!
And since I wasn't hurt, except for my pride, I really should be grateful because experiences that bring humility are among the best for spiritual growth. They inevitably act as a deterrent to pedestal building, and in this particular case, any possible delusions of grandeur are apt to be quickly replaced with the embarrassing image of being sprawled on the floor in a flannel nightgown.
God sometimes undertakes a less than tactful approach to reminding us of our weaknesses, lest we forget, but certainly any wise parent does what they can to make sure the most important lessons are well remembered.
Mohandas K. Gandhi put it clearly: "It is unwise to be too sure of one's own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err."
Whether it is wisdom, power or popularity, the truly wise are always mindful that anyone can fall, and the higher our pedestals the harder the landing. Just ask St. Paul.
His own experience of being humbled by a bolt of lightening no doubt played a great part in the emphasis he placed on this virtue in his letters to the Christian communities, exhorting them always to have among themselves "the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness and found human in appearance, he humbled himself becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross." (Philippians 2:5-9)
Compared to St. Paul, whose encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus sent him tumbling from his horse in full view of his traveling companions and left him blind as well, my fall was a mere bump in the night.
When I think about it now, it could have been worse.
It could have happened at the pajama party I went to for New Year's Eve - but that's another story.
_____________________________
Mary Morrell is the author of Angels in High Top Sneakers from Loyola Press.
Contact
Diocese of Metuchen
http://www.diometuchen.org
NJ, US
Mary Regina Morrell - Associate Director, Office of Religious Education, 732 562-1990
mmorrell@diometuchen.org
Keywords
humility, St. Paul, Jesus
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