Question
Gramps,
Recently pride has been my downfall; a lack of humility at certain times. How do I stay humble at all times? Humility being knowing how frighteningly powerless I am against Satan, and therefore the absolute necessity to always tap into the infinite enabling and power of Christ? If I could always be properly humble I might never sin. How do I always, every second of the day, maintain a humble reverence for my God so that I can get as close as I can to living my life perfectly?
Spencer
Answer
Dear Spencer,
You stated the answer within your question, though I’m not certain you realized it. The very essence of what you need to do is put your trust in Christ, and not in yourself, always. It is that simple, and that difficult.
The good news is, you are not alone. Pride and lack of humility are things we all struggle with, to varying degrees, but we do all struggle with them.
Being humble at all times is an admirable goal. Certainly one the Lord would have you pursue, but you need to understand that it will be a lifetime pursuit. As you said, if we were humble we would not sin. In other words, we would be perfect.
So how do you maintain a humble reverence for God every day? You are already aware of your utter dependence on Christ, and that is an important step. In order to keep that ever before you, consider the wise counsel of our leaders to pray…to Heavenly Father in the name of Christ every day when we rise, before we retire, before meals, in meetings, and any other time we feel the need or desire. Isn’t this a great way to be mindful of Him? Consider also the commandment to attend church each Sunday and partake of the Sacrament-each week we renew our covenants to “always remember Him”.
You might say, “I’m doing those things, and yet I still fall short.” That’s true for all of us. Remember this will be a lifetime pursuit. Our sin and weakness can help us though, because they remind us that we are nothing without the Savior. As long as we keep repenting, we will keep remembering Him.
Another way to continue to strive for humility is to pray for it. Ask Heavenly Father to help you overcome pride. Continually asking for His help reminds us of that we can’t do it alone, and that brings us a step closer to humility.
Pres. Benson in his classic talk Beware of Pride gave some excellent counsel about ways we can be more humble. Beware of Pride
“We can choose to humble ourselves by conquering enmity toward our brothers and sisters, esteeming them as ourselves, and lifting them as high or higher than we are. (See D&C 38:24; D&C 81:5; D&C 84:106.)
“We can choose to humble ourselves by receiving counsel and chastisement. (See Jacob 4:10; Hel. 15:3; D&C 63:55; D&C 101:4–5; D&C 108:1; D&C 124:61, 84; D&C 136:31; Prov. 9:8.)
“We can choose to humble ourselves by forgiving those who have offended us. (See 3 Ne. 13:11, 14; D&C 64:10.)
“We can choose to humble ourselves by rendering selfless service. (See Mosiah 2:16–17.)
”We can choose to humble ourselves by going on missions and preaching the word that can humble others. (See Alma 4:19; Alma 31:5; Alma 48:20.)
“We can choose to humble ourselves by getting to the temple more frequently.
“We can choose to humble ourselves by confessing and forsaking our sins and being born of God. (See D&C 58:43; Mosiah 27:25–26; Alma 5:7–14, 49.)
“We can choose to humble ourselves by loving God, submitting our will to His, and putting Him first in our lives. (See 3 Ne. 11:11; 3 Ne. 13:33; Moro. 10:32.)
Because you mentioned the enabling power of Christ, Spencer, there is another talk that I will recommend to you. It’s The Atonement and the Journey of Mortality by Elder David A. Bednar. In this talk he gives wonderful teachings about this enabling power.
May I suggest that you print out both talks, study them, highlight and underline them, pray about them, and you have a good foundation for your quest.
Best Wishes,
Gramps
