Love Humbly

by Erin Bird

Last week, I shared I was going to do a new series here called How to Love. If we are going to be a church marked by God's love, we need to contemplate the topic, even if we think we already know "how to love" or are doing a decent job of showing love. So let's jump right in!

The first aspect of love I want to tackle is "love humbly." To be humble (according to Merriam-Webster) is to be "not proud or haughty: not arrogant or assertive." Sounds a bit like Paul's definition of love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-5...

"Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;"

Years ago, I heard someone define humility as "not thinking low of yourself, rather it's thinking less of yourself." By thinking less of yourself, your mind has more space to think of others and put them first.  This is why Paul wrote the church in Philippi that they should...

"..do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others." (Philippians 2:4-5)

The perfect example of this humble love is Jesus. He didn't need to die for His own sins because He was the only human to ever be sinless. Yet, because of love, he willingly went through the cross to die our death. In other words, He put us first.

But what does it look like to "love like Jesus loved" in everyday life, to lay yourself down in order to put others first? It might be:

• letting your spouse or kids pick the movie
• giving the last cookie to your coworker
• shoveling the drive of your injured neighbor
• taking a meal to someone
• sending a card or text to cheer someone up
• sitting and listening to a friend over coffee
• playing a repetitive game with your two-year-old
• emptying the clean dishes in the dishwasher without being asked
• not purchasing that big-ticket item so you can help pay someone's rent
• giving up your addiction so you can be more present with family
• changing your schedule so you can give a friend a ride to the hospital

Pray for God to bring you opportunities to display humble love to someone, then seize the opportunity to display it. By doing so, you will be growing more and more into Christlikeness, being marked by God's love.