Humility ELLA W. HOAG, CSD          Humility is something the human mind has fallen far short of understanding. Because of the misconceptions in regard to it mankind has failed to appreciate its value and so has been deprived of the rich blessings which always result from its proper practice. To be sure it has been preached as a virtue, but the underlying belief that it involves a false subserviency has caused even the preachers themselves to avoid its use. Now true humility means one thing and one only, — it means yielding to God.          The human mind is inherently arrogant. Since infinite God is the only Mind, the basic claim of mortal mind is of a power to reverse or counterfeit this one, infinite, divine Mind and so itself be mind; hence its resistance to any demand which would tend to overthrow its claim in any direction. When humility is presented to it, immediately this so-called mind tries to discredit it by crying out against it, and says: This must not be accepted, for it means loss of self-respect, loss of prestige, loss of dignity, loss of everything that makes for personal independence. Or, failing to deceive by such arguments, it will hasten to a pretense of clothing itself in humility's garments by posing as a poor, miserable creature of the Uriah Heep variety. It takes but little true light to show this as only another claim of arrogance, interested only in substantiating its own claims to reality and power, but still vaunting its own false sense of a mind apart from God.          In "Miscellaneous Writings" Mrs. Eddy, in speaking of humility, says (p. 356): "This virtue triumphs over the flesh; it is the genius of Christian Science. One can never go up, until, one has gone down in his own esteem. Humility is lens and prism to the understanding of Mind-healing; it must be had to understand our textbook; it is indispensable to personal growth, and points out the chart of its divine Principle and rule of practice." This shows beyond question that a very important factor in the demonstration of Christian Science must be the understanding and practice of humility. One great difficulty is that the Christian Scientist is very apt to think that this can be gained suddenly and once for all, while the fact is that it is something which must ever be increasing in its magnitude and power so far as the individual is concerned.          The Bible calls frequently upon men to humble themselves before God, and it is full of promises of good and protection for those who act in obedience to these commands. Going down in one's own esteem is, however, not an agreeable process to humanity. So in spite of the real beauty and glory of humility and the beneficent results which always follow its exercise, it is the virtue which is perhaps the last the world is willing to accept. When Christian Science reveals it as the relinquishment of all belief in a mind apart from God, we begin to see how it may constantly be practiced and brought to bear upon every question and problem, with most gratifying effect.          While humility demands that men recognize the futility and undesirability of mortal mind and its beliefs, it at the same time accentuates the necessity for the recognition, appreciation, and glorification of all that belongs to God, divine Mind. Many Christian people who have striven through many years of righteous living to follow the Christ, have revolted almost in horror at the thought of claiming, as Paul did, the satisfactory result of such righteous living. Paul said, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith; henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness." He knew that because he had brought "into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ," no effect could follow but triumph for the Christ and for him who had proved his unity therewith.          So as we learn to relinquish all that is unlike the divine Mind, as we refuse to accept, consent to, or indulge any least belief of a mind other than the Christ-Mind; as we dwell more and more constantly with the thoughts of God, then we, too, may know the mighty power of right thinking and right doing. The true humility which thus refuses to identify itself with anything apart from Spirit and its activities will find that its light will shine and men will see the good works and glorify God. At the same time this makes possible obedience to Jesus' correlative command, "Let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth." The humility which attributes all to God, which sees that it can have no power apart from God, understands perfectly that it need never speak for itself or in any way call attention to its own accomplishments. When Moses came down from the mount after talking with God, he "wist not that the skin of his face shone." Had he been thinking of Moses there could have been no such illumination. Any thought of personal power, personal glory, is but darkness. But the humility which honors only God, must help ever to flood the earth with the light of righteousness and the manifestation of the mighty power of divine Love.          A practitioner once asked a patient, "Do you think you are humble enough to be healed?" If we find some belief of sickness slow to yield, and if the way out of sin seems dark and rugged, then shall we not ask ourselves: Are we humble enough to yield our false belief in a mind apart from God? Asking this prayerfully, honestly, searchingly, we shall certainly come to see that true humility not only means the willingness to know that man has no power apart from God, good, but it also means that he must ever be the expression of that good. In other words, clothed in humility his is the marvelous might of expressing the power of God, of being His image and likeness.   "Humility" by Ella W. Hoag, CSD Christian Science Sentinel, August 9, 1919

 

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