Most people admit that humility is important, but few understand what humility actually is. I will begin by saying what humility is not. First, humility is not weakness. When we envision humility, we often think of being passive and helplessly letting people walk over us. We think of a measly person who is unable to stand up for him or herself when confronted. This is not the humility that the Bible commands. The suffering servant of Isaiah 53:7 showed Christ’s humility, “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth;” (NASB). It was not that the suffering servant could not open his mouth to defend himself.  He chose instead not to exercise his power and authority as God’s servant. Think of Aslan in the Narnia books/movies: Aslan could have ripped off the White Witch’s head, but instead he allowed her to abuse him. Therefore, humility is not helpless passivity and weakness, but rather shows endurance and strong restraint at the proper time.

Secondly, humility is not self deprecatory. A humble person does not put themselves down. They do not turn down due praise. A humble person can and should take complements. Thus, while the humble should not brag about themselves and exalt themselves over others, they also should not downplay their accomplishments whenever someone complements them. Christians are supposed to give praise where praise is due (Rom 13:13). Therefore, you should not hinder others from fulfilling this command (plus, it is really annoying and rude not to take a complement from someone else).