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Aug 26, 2013 | The Rev. Bruce Chabot

Chabot: A Lesson on Humility, Spirituality, Religiousness

humility"When I was a kid, the Sunday School teacher once gave me a ribbon because of my sweet humility. The next week I wore it, so she took it away." -- Tom Turner, Navasota cultural icon.

 

American iconoclast Walt Whitman raised literary eyebrows when, instead of praising something noble, he wrote, "I celebrate myself, and sing myself" in Leaves of Grass in 1855.

 

Muhammad Ali boldly told us all that he was the greatest as an athlete and as a showman.

 

Such proclamations serve a real purpose, though they sound shocking.

 

A supercilious bloke I once knew considered himself a fabulous mix of a Heisman trophy winner and a tea party darling wrapped up with a university president's bow tie; he reckoned that women lusted for him and men just wept in despair. He thought Carly Simon's song was about him. I asked him once if maybe he should tone the attitude down a bit. He said he didn't need any false humility. I told him what he needed was some real humility.

 

Jesus addressed the issue of narcissism and hubris when his pals, who still had quite a bit of spiritual growth to do, argued about who was the swellest among them, in Luke 22:24. They embarrassed and annoyed him. He corrected them, saying:

 

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