Lord, It's Hard to Be Humble

If we're honest, we'd all like to have a child born with musical talent, physical prowess, or intellectual advantages. The qualities we tend to give less consideration to are those related to their character. Our child's moral and ethical qualities become increasingly important -- and apparent -- as they grow. Are they kind, sincere, honest, fair, compassionate, or grateful? Ambitious, courageous, loving, adventurous, or curious? And how about modest or humble?

Last week, my daughter Abby turned eleven. As I reflect on who she is and who she's becoming, I am proud of her many strong qualities, including diligence, dependability, confidence, studiousness, and persistence. Where she just might be lacking, however, is in the areas of modesty and humilty. Abby is one of those fortunate people for whom much comes easily. What she fails to take into account is that not everyone is so lucky. She hasn't learned to dial down her displays of enthusiasm and pride in a job well done, and I'm afraid it has hurt and alienated friends and classmates.

As I try to teach Abby humilty and modesty, I'm increasingly aware of how many others are equally lacking in this regard. This past weekend I attended a performance of the Philly Pops. I'm a fan of their concerts and admire the talent of the orchestra. What I don't enjoy, however, is the ego fest that is their maestro, Peter Nero. Each performance includes a mention of awards won, composers met, and a reference to his network of "who's who." I believe the audience spent as much time clapping in recognition of his amazingness as we did applauding the music.

For one of America's greatest examples of a deficiency in humility, simply watch any professional football game and note the receiver's or quarterback's display of celebration in the end zone. These superstars have their own signature dances designed to call extra attention to their impressive feats. God forbid we let our actions speak for themselves. Regardless of what you think of Tim Tebow and his "Tebowing," at the least the guy gives credit to someone other than himself.

And speaking of the Christian community, when looking for a modesty role model, those in ministry may come to mind. You might figure those who put Christ and community first would have their egos in check. I do know clergy who fit that description, but I also know others who utterly fail to practice what they preach. I will always remember being scolded by a nationally known Christian author and speaker for forgetting to include his name on a press release about a Judson Press book he had contributed to. He actually threatened to pull his material if I didn't rectify the situation.

Clearly, if I want Abby to develop these important aspects of her character, I'm going to have to look elsewhere for role models. I would volunteer for the job myself, but given the many important things I'm responsible for because of my awesomeness, I'm afraid I just won't have the time.