If You're Exalting Yourself, You'll Be Humbled!

Have you ever noticed that those who exalt themselves eventually are humbled? Just like today’s Gospel says they will be? 

I have found that many people in leadership roles eventually find themselves in this “exalted” category. They got to a leader role because they were confident in themselves, did right more than wrong, had a lot of strengths, and demonstrated good decision-making. This can make them more blind over time to the feedback of others, their own weaknesses and mistakes, and the lower people on the totem pole.

Inevitably, those who think they are more or “promote themselves” before someone else does, are humbled to a lower place than they’d like. Either those around them don’t respect them because they don’t have a voice in decisions, they don’t rise as high as they want, or they find their weaknesses and mistakes catching up with them.

Instead, we’re called to humble ourselves, for then we shall be exalted.

These are some ways we may be exalting ourselves…

• Assuming a higher position, status, or role that we don’t have yet.
• Trying to control and dominate others.
• Not listening to others’ points of view and assuming our’s is best.
• Not admitting our wrongdoing or weakness.
• Not being willing to do “the grunt work.”

…when we should be humbling ourselves:

• Associating with the lowly.
• Collaborating and cooperating vs. controlling.
• Listening to others and taking their feedback seriously.
• Admitting when we did wrong or areas where we’re weaker.
• Being willing to do the less attractive work.

Let’s face it. Some of us are quite prideful, but we don’t have all the answers, we’re not “above” certain work and responsibilities at home, work, in the community, and at Church. We’re not always right. We do wrong sometimes, and we all have our weaknesses.

Humility is about seeing ourselves for who we really are, not who we wish we were.