Referencing Proverbs 28:6, which is better: to be proud and seem humble, or to be humble and seem proud?
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HumilityTags: humility
Referencing Proverbs 28:6, which is better: to be proud and seem humble, or to be humble and seem proud?
Tags: humility
Unless this is a trick question, I think 1 Samuel 16:7 applies. In which case, to be is more important than to seem.
On the other hand, if you could be both proud and humble… oh, nevermind…
It all depends on whose opinion you value most. The One who sees the hidden man of the heart or those other guys. Of course, humility is a tricky thing. If you’re falsely accused of being proud — do you protest, “NO, I’m not — I’m humble”?
Actualy, I’ve probably been accused of pride and attention seeking more than any thing else….I finally decided either I am or I’m not but do I stop doing what I’m doing? Falling back on Owen Griffin’s admontion that we can praise God when we feel like a snake because it’s not about us and He hasn’t changed, my final conclusion is that if my expression of praise is evidence of pride, so be it — He’s still worthy to receive it.
Not a trick question. The problem, I think, is that I suspect that an outsider is a more valid observer of my pride. If I think I’m being humble in my conversation with you, and what I say strikes you as arrogant, I’m probably actually being a jerk, no matter what my internal compass is saying.
Of course, sometimes it’s the other guy who’s being a jerk, which affects their ability to correct my sin.
I’d rather not even try to judge my own humility, because as soon as I render a judgement, it would most likely be wrong! In other words, my opinion falls on the to seem side of the equation.
The only one who could rightfully judge whether I am humble, in the to be sense, is God – and last I checked, He’s never congratulated anyone for being humble to their face! (Of course he did comment to Rick Joyner about wearing the Cloak of Humility in The Final Quest, but even then it was just about how great the cloak was, not the fact that it was Rick who was wearing it!)