When I was in college, a position opened up at his company that would have been a promotion for him. He told his boss he was interested and told him why he was the one for the job. The other two men being considered lobbied hard, even pulling strings in upper management, but Dad refused to go overboard in tooting his own horn. In my college know-it-all-ness, I said, “Dad, you are too humble! If you don’t sell yourself, you’ll get overlooked in this world.”

“They know I’m interested in the job. My record and commitment are solid,” he said. “If this is part of God’s plan for me, I will trust Him for it. If not, He must have something else in mind.”

Dad didn’t get the promotion. I was angry at his company and frustrated with him. But Dad was fine, reiterating his faith in God, continually thankful for his job which allowed us to live comfortably. I was grateful, too, but still wished he had played by the world’s rules. Now, years later, having grown in my walk with the Lord by watching his, I’m so glad he didn’t.

People who don’t think they have a problem with pride are the worst offenders because they are blind to it. Yet despite what the world says, we have nothing to be proud of. All we have and are, even the air we breathe, comes from God. A truly humble person focuses on God and others. Jesus, the perfect model of humility, made Himself nothing because He considered us worth saving.