"Humble" | Reflection by the Rev. Bob Sandine

“Humble.” I have always thought that the Old Testament wisdom about it was best summed up in Micah 6:8 – “And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly [with your God.”

And I love the image of what it would look like to walk humbly with God.  I can picture our Faith Hero, Jesus, walking and talking humbly with God in the Garden.

Our amazing twentieth century saint, Mother Teresa also knew the secret:

“These are the few ways we can practice humility:
To speak as little as possible of one's self.
To mind one's own business.
Not to want to manage other people's affairs.
To avoid curiosity.
To accept contradictions and correction cheerfully.
To pass over the mistakes of others.
To accept insults and injuries.
To accept being slighted, forgotten and disliked.
To be kind and gentle even under provocation.
Never to stand on one's dignity.
To choose always the hardest.”
― Mother Teresa, The Joy in Loving: A Guide to Daily Living

So how can we in our own small lives in this time of pandemic, “walk humbly with our God?” I think that we can learn to work toward being more loving, less self-centered, and better listeners. When I was young, my dear dad, Rudy Sandine, reminded me frequently that “the good Lord gave me two ears and only one mouth, and I should learn the lesson of listening at least twice as much as I speak.” Thanks, Dad.

And so, during the Special Season of Lent, let us move toward loving and listening. Amen.

Words in the Wilderness - Walk through the season of Lent with Trinity, one word at a time. Every day (except on Sundays) we will post a photo and a brief refection written by someone in our Trinity community. https://www.trinitynewhaven.org/words-in-the-wilderness