The Christian Journey

C.S. Lewis on Humility

C.S. Lewis was a profound author, academic, and theologian.  Anything he wrote is well worth its place at the top of your reading list.

Perhaps the most famous quote attributed to Lewis on the topic of humility is, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.”

A wonderful quote with wonderful insight, but it doesn’t belong to Lewis.  It belongs to Rick Warren and his best selling Purpose Driven Life.

Here is what Lewis says about humility in his book Mere Christianity:

Do not imagine that if you meet a really humble man he will be what most people call ‘humble’ nowadays: he will not be a sort of greasy, smarmy person, who is always telling you that, of course, he is nobody. Probably all you will think about him is that he seemed a cheerful, intelligent chap who took a real interest in what you said to him. If you do dislike him it will be because you feel a little envious of anyone who seems to enjoy life so easily. He will not be thinking about humility: he will not be thinking about himself at all.

If anyone would like to acquire humility, I can, I think, tell him the first step. The first step is to realize that one is proud. And a biggish step, too. At least, nothing whatever can be done before it. If you think you are not conceited, it means you are very conceited indeed

According to Lewis, the first step in the pursuit of humility is recognizing and admitting how proud and conceited you are.  A solid second step would be to confess this to God and ask God for help.  Third, would be to cultivate the practice of praying for other people.  Don’t pray for others like you’re reading over a laundry list to God, but offer deep, imaginative, caring and concerned prayers like you are holding someone else’s life, their existence, their well-being in your hand and holding that person up to God.  Pray for others like you pray for yourself or your children and see what God does in your heart.

I’m still working on this one.

Previous post

Virtue Signaling & Jesus

Next post

Fill Up With The Good Things