Today I truly understand Humility

[Bronx850]

Today I truly understand Humility for over 40 years I was and have been confused, with the words meaning. I always understood the definition to mean, the act of making someone else feel ashamed or being ashamed of ones own behavior, and is something completely different.

Humility is defined as, "A quality by which a person considering his own defects has a humble opinion of himself and willingly submits himself to God and to others for God's sake." St. Bernard defines it as, "A virtue by which a man knowing himself as he truly is, abases himself. a b c d e Catholic Encylopedia, "Humilty"

St, Thomas Aquinas a 13th century philosopher and theologian in the Scholastic tradition, defines humility similarly as "the virtue of humility" that "consists in keeping oneself within one's own bounds, not reaching out to things above one, but submitting to one's superior" (Summa Contra Gent., bk. IV, ch. lv, tr. Rickaby).

Humility is said to be the foundation of the spiritual edifice and inferior only to faith. However, humility is considered the first virtue inasmuch as it removes the obstacles to faith. It removes pride and makes a man subject to and a fit recipient of grace; according to the words of St. James, "God resisted the proud, and give his grace to the humble" (James 4:6).

Humility comprises the following behaviors and attitudes: ["humility." Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 2007. Answers.com 26 Dec. 2007.
1. submission to God and legitimate authority;
2. recognition of the virtues and talents that others possess, particularly those which surpass one's own, and giving due honor and, when required, obeisance;
3. recognition of the limits of one's talents, ability, or authority; and, not reaching for that which is beyond one's grasp.

Today I am grateful and humble.:wink:

[JohnDaniels]

Hi everybody. I signed up on this board about a month ago. I have visited from time to time but have not yet posted here.

Bronx850 I like your post above on Humility. I enjoyed reading the explainations and your understanding that you have gained.

My original sponsor, may he rest in peace, used to say that humility was the ability to be teachable.

I think it is something we learn in time when we have progressed to just the right point in our personal development. I know when I stopped fighting it, I was willing to crawl across 5 miles of broken glass on my hands and knees just to get sober and change my life.

Getting sober did nothing for me but bring me more pain at first. I was going to have to change my entire personallity in order to stay sober and I knew it. I just didn't know how. That realization that I didn't know how was the beginning of my new life because I was willing.

Looking back to something my original sponsor told me when I was sobering up and hurting so bad was this; "God has a treasure chest for you filled with everything good just for you". He also said, "Self knowledge will not be enough".

I asked my sponsor why I couldn't have it all right then. He told me I wasn't ready yet and that it is all so powerful and good that my mind couldn't grasp it all. He said in time as I grew and developed my life would get better little by little and some day I would have those treasures.

Today one of my treasures is as the book tells us, that there will come a time when we suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves. Reading it or hearing it read is one thing, but knowing it deep in my heart is something else.

That is one of my treasures that no amount of wealth could ever take the place of. Knowing that God is doing for me what I could not do for myself. I have worked very hard in life and when I have ran out of answers and am really up against the wall, God has supplied the rest of the answer for me so that I can continue on with what ever it is I am facing.

I believe that because of the type of life I have today, I am blessed and that I could not have arrived where I am at all on my own self knowledge. I am just not that smart.

Anyway Bronx850 it is nice to meet you. I hope to get to know you better. Have a wonderful day.