H is for . . .

H is for the HELP you give your neighbor,
U UNSELFISHNESS that knows enough,
M is for your MEEK and MILD behavior,
B is for the BIBLE that you love,
L because you’re LEANING on the Savior,
E is for EXALTING God above.
Put them all together they spell HUMBLE,
Humble as a lamb, a child, a DOVE

by Norman Drummond

Humble Identity

There seems to be an incongruity between the importance of humility in the Bible and the importance given it by the church. I contend that humble should be heralded as who believers are. If church mottos are attempts at defining who or what visitors will find within our walls, they make my point that humility is not high on our list of what identifies us. A list of popular church mottos reveals the lack of reference to “humble.”

Many mottos express the message: “we care about you.” Join our church and it is “the end of your search for a friendly church.” It is expressed by some with, “Always a Place For You.” Some churches simply claim they are, “A People Who Care.” Maybe this is all based on the belief that people don’t care what you know until they know that you care.

Another focus of church mottos is the idea of “community.” Their purpose is “Building a Community of Grace.” Some alliteration makes the motto more meaningful and monumental: “A Place to Believe, Belong, and Become.” I like the warmth in this motto: “Large Enough to Serve You, Small Enough to Know You.”

One of the more popular ideas churches desire to convey in their motto is that of “growth.” Churches proudly hale: “A Growing Church Serving A Growing Community.” Even if that was never true, the church will put it on the bulletin every week. A motto that unites the two ideas of community and growth is the phrase, “Growing Together.” For me, that conjures up pictures that I am sure were not intended. The motto I most enjoy belonged to a church with a cemetery behind it. “Dead Out Back, Alive Inside.”

The messages of some mottos seem intentionally vague and lacking substance, like this one: “Rooted, Relevant and Real.” I have poked fun at one local church’s motto that states its name followed with, “A Good Idea!” A better motto might be: “You Should Come, It’s Not That Bad.” Why don’t we be a little more ambiguous by adopting the motto: “Watch Out!”

Latin phrases make good mottos. It is too bad the Marines took the phrase “Semper fidelis” (always faithful). That would make a great church motto. A church with a powerful evening worship could add a twist to another well known Latin phrase with, “Carpe noctum! (Seize the night). How about this for a good Baptist church: “Veni, Vidi, Dormivi” (I came, I saw, I slept). A great motto for the contemporary church is: “Ventis secundis, tene cursum” (Go with the flow).

Where are the mottos that place value on humility. Allow me to offer a few. Alliteration: “Holy, Happy and Humble.” Caring: “We Ain’t Too Proud To Serve You?” Community: “Our Humility Brings Us Together.” Growth: “Big Enough To Be Humble.” Ambiguous: “Who? Me?” Latin: "Quidvis Recte Factum Quamvis Humile Praeclarum" (Whatever is rightly done, however humble, is noble). I must offer just two more possibly great mottos. “Come on in, but leave your pride at the door.” Or, “We’re Not Proud, Seriously!”

One Might Imagine

The single greatest myth is so far from controversial conclusions that one might imagine consequences to be nil. Faced with many faceted foils and spoils from past delusions, greatness abounds with milk and mud. We merely think we can glimpse the horizon. It probably imagines it can glimpse back. On and on again, society cruises to a fault without a simpleton to spare. Where? One can only hope. When? Maybe we can salvage some of it. Forests are filled with wooden soldiers dripping with honey, hopping to the tune of a dead horse. Mountains rise above the groans of lace upon crutches. Cinders overwhelm the strength of the whiskerless frog. All that is left is the dying of the solace as the fool tries to decipher my words. The humble man can accept that not everything has meaning. (Please forgive my foolishness. I sense April 1st drawing nigh.)

Unselfish Days

It is my contention that humility is a spirit of selflessness while pride is the spirit of selfishness. A test of humility is a test to find evidence of unselfish behavior. A nineteenth century novelist and poet named Mary Anne Evans wrote a poem that invites us to view our day from this perspective. She is better known by her nom de plume George Eliot and her novel Silas Marner. Here is her poem titled, Count That Day Lost.

If you sit down at set of sun
And count the acts that you have done,
And, counting, find
One self-denying deed, one word
That eased the heart of him who heard,
One glance most kind
That fell like sunshine where it went –
Then you may count that day well spent.

But if, through all the livelong day,
You’ve cheered no heart, by yea or nay –
If, through it all
You’ve nothing done that you can trace
That brought the sunshine to one face –
No act most small
That helped some soul and nothing cost –
Then count that day as worse than lost.

I think I could interpret this to say: "a day without humility is like a day without sunshine." Those looking forward to an humble man's company might easily say of his arrival: "here comes the sun."