humility

The Rector gave a really neat sermon today about humility, primarily about the challenge of giving without accepting any sort of reward or appreciation. During the "silence that follows so that the people may meditate upon the meaning of the sermon" it occured to me that humility is also accepting that which is given to you. We live in a world firmly confident of a general sense of entitlement, though our specific definitions of the term would vary greatly. Yet at the same time, there is an expectation that we will reciprocate any charity or kindness; the Amish help their neighbor build a new barn in part because someday they too will need a new barn. The barn-building also happens, though, because it is part of their Christian faith and life; they are called to help each other and strengthen the community.

It is accepting gifts given simply to be kind and thoughtful that can be hardest to accept, I suppose. There are plenty of people who give to be noticed, or give to be admired, but that's not what I'm talking about; I mean the simple, "hey, I saw this and it made me think of you" gifts, for which a thank-you note is nice, but not needed, and reciprocity isn't necesarily expected, or the care package during exams.

Words Written: none, but I'm about to tackle it
Lessons Graded: thirty-six