"The Creator in Its wisdom has conceived principles that govern my life and the lives of everyone. One law of life I have recently discovered is the humility principle. '...for everyone who exalts himself wil be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted' (Luke 18:14). This is not a law with which I can choose to interact. It is a principle, and therefore it is always active in my life. Either I humble myself, and I am exalted, or I exalt myself, and I am humbled.
I cannot decide to put this principle aside until I am ready to work with it. It is always working with me. However, I have a choice to make. I can choose to humble myself. At this point, I may not even know how to accomplish this, but there is something I can do today. I can choose not to exalt myself.
The best way to begin is to determine how I have exalted myself in the past. This is important because my tendency is to repeat these practices again and again."
~ Jim Rosemergy, "The Transcendent Life"
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More and more I feel like I am being called to live a simpler, more humble life. This is often not an easy choice to make, as there are a thousand distractions around me: TV, the internet, other entertainment activities, maybe even people. I think that while I often feel called to this kind of life and know that it is best for me and my spiritual life, I fear it because it leads to a stripping away. My preconceived ideas of what is best for me, what I should expect out of life, or from people are challenged again and again. Some of the people we admire the most lived their lives in humility and simplicity: Mother Teresa, Ghandi, Jesus. Yet I can't wait to get my hands on new music, movies, or to receive attention from those around me.
The humble, spiritual life is not an easy one, especially when you're just starting out, but it is through this life that we will find true healing and lasting peace.
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