Humble Enough?

“You can have no greater sign of confirmed pride than when you think you are humble enough.”– William Law

Long-time readers of my blog may remember that I focused on one word in 2019. The word was “balance“.

I felt my life could use an infusion of balance. I tend to fly off on wild flights of fancy, to dream up hairbrained schemes.

On one level I was successful. I worked on balancing yoga poses and improved my physical balance. I balanced my diet.

In the spiritual, emotional realm, the outcome was not quite as favorable.

In “Radical Acceptance“, a book I am currently reading, author Tara Brach advises the reader to adopt the detached, faintly amused attitude advocated by many Buddhist teachings as a method of avoiding sorrow. Attachments lead to suffering.

This is a balanced, moderate, sensible approach to life, but one that completely eludes me.

I get attached. I can’t avoid it. I don’t want to. I’m willing to risk having a broken heart.

I get attached to friends, to pets, to loved ones. When I was in the classroom, I got attached to students, sometimes much to their chagrin.

I remember one student in particular. He could not master a particular concept, even after hours of practice, after-school help from me, and peer mentoring. “Just give up, Mrs. Hess. It’s hopeless,” he said. “I’m going to drop the class.”

“Nope,” I replied. “See you tomorrow at 3:05.”

I’m stubborn. I couldn’t let him go. I was attached. He eventually passed the class.

I would not do anything differently today. Where’s the balance in a no-holds-barred attachment?

After a year of thinking about balance, my conclusion is that it’s a mirage. This old world is wilder, more sublime, and God’s love more fierce than balanced.

I will try again next year to focus on one word, one concept. For 2020, my word is “humility“.

I am looking forward to considering humility this year. The inspiration for my goal is found in Philippians: “Do nothing from rivalry or conceit but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.”

My starting point, however, is summed up by Anne Lamott: “I want this softening, this surrender, this happiness. The problem is, I love to be, and so often am, right.”

 

I am linking up with Worth Beyond Rubies, Sarah E Frazer Grace for Today,  Welcome Heart for Let’s Have Coffee, Debbie at Dare 2 Hear, Random-osity for Little Things Thursdays, and Soaring With Him for Recharge Wednesday.

Please click on the following link to read more funny or inspirational one-liners. One-Liner Wednesday.