The contrast between pride and humility is seen in many of the stories in Luke; the Pharisee and the tax collector, the rich ruler and the blind man, the rich ruler and Zacchaeus, and throughout the book in the Pharisees and Jesus. Humility is not a gift of the Spirit. It is an attitude that I am responsible for developing and cultivating in my life. Pride is easy to come by and it must be weeded out frequently.
Confession of my falling short of how God wants me to be is a way to keep me in a place of humility. It gives me awareness, not condemnation or self loathing, when I get off track or out of alignment. I don’t like the dark sides of me. But if I don’t pay attention to them, or keep them hidden deep inside, the darkness will overcome me.
The practice of daily examination and confession brings light to the little things that become bigger and often unmanageable things. I like the fact that God truly forgives my imperfections and that causes me to love him even more, which causes me to sin even less.
I like Mary’s description of her ‘humble estate’. There is something freeing about living in humility. Pride produces pressure to maintain it. Humility frees me of that pressure and keeps me close to the Presence. “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. (James 4:6)”
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