Humility and Hope

James chapter 4 talks a lot about humility: (from verses 6,7,10,12, and 15) "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble, Submit yourselves, then, to God. Humble yourselves before the Lord, do not slander one another, who are you to judge your neighbor? You boast and brag. All such boasting is evil." This last phrase is said in context of those who are planning ahead.

What?! Planning ahead? "Now listen, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.' Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, 'If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that.' As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins." Hebrews 4:13-17

These are tough words. "If it's the Lord's will" are easy enough words to preface any statement, but is our heart truly in the place where our plans are held in an open hand? Held in a place where God has permission to mess with them?

It takes humility to walk this life with both wisdom, and surrender. To know yourself well enough to make a plan for the future, but hold it in an open hand - willing for God to change the plan as He sees fit.

It takes humility to do life with others and not be judgmental of the choices they make. To release them to God's love and not try to fix them. To be o.k. with someone else in my life not being o.k. It takes humility to have friends or family members who fail. Somehow we think it's a reflection of ourselves.

Humility, as I've been told, is not thinking less of myself, but thinking of myself less. Getting me out of the mix. Doing life from a standpoint of, "Here's what I think, and I could be wrong." Or, "Here's my opinion, what is yours?" Or, "I would like to do it this way, but I'm open to change." Holding loosely to our "rights" and tightly to love.

The other day I was reading all this and I was struggling with the "Do not plan ahead" stuff. I'm in a season of life where I sense the Spring Breeze blowing and I believe things are changing. Growing. Being made new. So to read this I was feeling a bit set down. Discouraged. As if God didn't want me dreaming.

Then I read in Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Followers of Jesus are called to faith, and if faith is being sure of what we hope for, then hope is an essential part of the believers life. Of our inheritance. It is ours to hope, to dream, to believe for good things.

So were is the line between humility and hope? Isn't hope, undiluted, expressed, lived out and little presumptuous? I mean, let's be real here, when you meet someone who is "full of faith" don't you sometimes wonder if they're really as connected to God as they think? Do you ever wonder if it was faith you saw in them, or just a deep, well expressed desire? Do you ever hesitate to express a hope you have because you're afraid someone will think that of you? "Oh my, isn't it a bit presumptuous of her to dream of ______________?"

Maybe I'm not making much sense. Maybe I'm only exposing my idiosyncrasies. Or maybe I'm onto something. :) Do we, as humans, struggle with this line between humility and hope? I'm just wondering. And I think, the other day, I caught a glimpse of the free space that links the two.

Romans 15:13, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

"As you trust in Him. . . " I think that's the line. The key. The answer to the question I'm struggling to put into words. Hope is our heritage. It's in the DNA of every Christ-follower. Without hope, life is dull, wearying and depressing. With hope, life is full, engaging and alive. The antidote to presumption is not the absence of hope, it's the presence of Trust. My life, entrusted to a God who wants my good. When I dream, I dream with God. When I hope, I hope in what He has for me. When my plans change, I entrust my desires to Him. When my plans are changed for me, I still entrust my life and desires to him.

We are called to humility - to holding our lives in an open hand, making allowances for our weaknesses, admitting where we need help - and we are called to HOPE