An Ordinary Woman and Humility

“Too much pride
 can put you to shame.
 It’s wiser to be humble.”                          (Proverbs 11:2 Contemporary English Version)

I strode to the information desk at my church and smiled at the man behind the counter. “I was told there’s a gift left for me back there somewhere.” He furrowed his brow and asked for my name. He rummaged through papers and boxes as I explained that I hadn’t been able to attend the leaders’ dinner last Thursday and our Women’s Ministry leader told me she had a gift for me at the information desk. Occasionally, in the past, Mary Ann had given me gift cards for Starbucks or a manicure after I’d written questions for a book we used that particular semester.

Overhearing my explanation, a woman behind the desk showed him a pile of thin booklets that had a note on top. She handed me one of the booklets. I was confused. “I think there’s a gift bag somewhere for me. You see, I wrote questions for one of the studies they used and I think Mary Ann had a gift for me as well.” They looked some more, but could find nothing. I thanked them and walked away. There must be some mistake. There had to be something else. They just weren’t looking hard enough. But…

Just then, I saw Mary Ann, our Women’s Ministry leader. I smiled and held up the slim volume of devotions. “I got my gift.”

“Isn’t it nice? We wanted it to be a surprise.” She hugged my shoulders and graced me with a warm smile that made her eyes sparkle.

“It’s great,” I enthused, feeling about two inches tall. But you know what was even worse? I had just gotten out of church and the sermon was on humility! I even took notes! Obviously, I was listening with my ears but not my heart.

I love writing questions for studies because I love the feeling of working with the Lord. But, it also presents me with the hardest battle of my life—the battle against my pride. The enemy has a field day with me. If I didn’t have God to fight for me and help me, I’d be lost. It’s a daily struggle. Do you remember those cartoons with the little white angel on one shoulder and the little red devil on the other? That’s me.

But the other thing I battle is worry. Worry that I’m not doing it right—that I’m not presenting what God wants the ladies to hear. Worry that my own thoughts and words are taking precedence over His. Worry is a form of pride as well.

So I pray—a lot. And ask forgiveness when I’m looking for a gift bag when I should be thankful for the opportunity to serve Him!

“Don’t worry about anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God.” (Philippians 4:6 CEV)

When I hear that my questions touch people, I count it as God’s way of saying to me, “Well done my good and faithful servant.” It’s His blessing to me. He’s not obligated in any way to let me know that I’m doing it the way He wants it done, but He has mercy on me and, through the comments from others, lets me know that I’m on the right track. He knows that I need that reassurance. It’s His way of showing me His love and I’m so grateful and thankful to Him.

And that’s the only gift I really need.