Humility may be the most unpopular virtue. We all love interacting with humble people and we enjoy their company, yet we can't bear being humble ourselves. We want to be strong, bold, brave, and independent, and humility challenges that view. Whenever we face sin or other struggles in our spiritual life, we can overcome them with humility. In fact, the best way to combat sin is by serving your wife.
I think we all struggle with pride to some degree. When we put ourselves in the number 1 spot, sin becomes much easier. Although it's natural for us to look out for ourselves first, at the same time it causes us to make decisions that are in our self-interest, which usually leads to reducing someone else. We commit sins against our family like sloth, rage, sins of omission and commission, all because of pride. Pride is bad news and it's all too easy to get complacent with the role that it plays in our lives.
When you're ready to have the courage to make a change, and when you understand just how difficult change will be, focus your attention outward. Get hyper focused on serving everyone else in your household. Deny your body's requests for excessive rest (which is usually just laziness) and be incredibly proactive about doing things for your family. While at first it may look like ordinary chores like cleaning the kitchen or making the bed, soon it will turn into more internal dispositions. You'll start praying for them by offering up activities, you'll be proactive in doing nice things for them, you'll write your wife a love letter, and so much more. The thing is, the more you give of yourself, the more you root out pride in your life, the happier you'll be.
The body needs to be tamed. We have within our brains hardwired responses to situations, survival mechanisms that usually come out as just plain selfishness in our safe environment. If you really want to make lasting change and if you really want to live free of sin, you'll have to do what the saints did and build new responses. You'll have to recognize temptation and pride at their first appearance and respond forcefully. It can be done and it will lead to new heights in your personal life, but it will be a great challenge.
If you want to beat sin and if you want to live a more humble life, begin by serving your wife. Pray for her in the morning, throughout the day while you work, and in the evening. Meet her needs, check things off of your honey-do list, and always be serving. Only then will you know true happiness and true peace.
Tags: Virtue
