Humble Your Heart and Free Your Soul
By Keri Eichberger
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. – 1 Peter 5:6-7
I rolled toward the edge of the bed, greeted my first peek of daylight, and felt the same old pain radiating down my spine. Additionally, the compounding weight of exhaustion from days of extreme lack of sleep made it exceptionally difficult to drag my feet to the floor. But I had to move fast because it was the twins' first morning of Vacation Bible School.
My husband abruptly apologized for snoozing the alarm. He hadn’t slept well; his throat was scratchy, his stomach was cramping, the dog had been up, and the girls rose extra early–all of this announced with his exclamation of extreme tiredness. Could’ve fooled me, I thought. The energy to rattle off such a list spoke slightly otherwise to me.
My heart released an eye-roll and then an internal “ugh” for how I was struggling myself. But I refused to let complaints slip from my lips. Also true, I didn’t really have an ounce of strength to open my voice anyway. But the main reason for keeping my whining to myself was that humility had been my chosen word of the year, and I’d been practicing removing any grumbling that no one needed to hear.
The problem was, as it later occurred to me: Sure, I was keeping my lips sealed, and others may have seen more specks of humility, but what was God seeing? My conviction said, not so appealing, and definitely not so humble. I continued my contemplation asking the Lord to keep laying on me what he wanted to speak over my soul.
And I was prompted. Maybe I wasn’t getting this humble thing down so well. Humility is certainly more than just keeping my mouth shut–as I tend to judge others for opening theirs or allow all my grumbling to grow within. I considered again my coinciding verse of the year that speaks to this word. But this time gave more attention to the familiar verse that follows. 1 Peter 5:6 reads, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” And right after verse seven says, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”
I began to wonder if there was more significance in these side-by-side instructions that I should pay closer attention to. I’d been working on humility on the outside, but maybe not as much humbly releasing all my cares, concerns, and control to God on the inside. Which I guess really isn’t that humble at all. No, true humility stems and flows from within the heart. A heart surrendered to God.
I wonder, how humble are your words? How humble is your heart?
Do you struggle to quiet the complaints contained in your soul, like mine this morning? Do you often allow your grumbles within to release to the world? Or judge the world for theirs? Personally, whether only my heart hears or my voice also speaks the groaning, at times, I also become judgmental, frustrated, and even resentful when others gripe about their own lives. Even to those I love and care for the most.
Can you relate to this, too?
It might be possible God also wants to work on your heart some more. I’m certain he wants to keep impressing the words of 1 Peter 5 upon me. I believe he not only wants to humble our hearts and words for the sake of his people, but he individually wants to offer us something too. Freedom of the soul. A freedom received by releasing us from the bonds of bitterness. As we extend grace toward others. Like the grace I should have offered my husband who was simply sharing his life, that was later followed by my freedom. From frustration when I lowered myself in humility and found a humble compassion within.
God also wants to give us a freedom found when we humbly lift all our cares to him every waking, aching morning before our feet hit the floor. Giving him our heavy load so ours can lighten, and we can experience the freedom, grace, and abundance we long for that he longs to lay on us.
I think God wants all of this for us and from us. For us to humbly acknowledge that he cares for us. To humbly cast all our cares and anxiety on him. To humble ourselves, allowing him, not us, to lift us up. Knowing he can and will carry us. Release pride, release cares, release love, release reflections of Jesus. And find so much freedom in your soul.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Will you do something with me today? Will you ask God to reveal to you all the burdens you carry? Will you humbly give them to him, each and every one? Will you acknowledge his care and control of it all? And will you rise with a humble grace toward those you encounter? Knowing they are carrying handfuls of stones and struggles, too. Friend, releasing your cares to the good almighty God will free your soul, and initiate a humility that opens your hands to him and your heart to others. To outwardly love and live with grace, and brightly shine the humble heart of Jesus. Remember, humility stems and flows from within the heart. Form a humble posture of surrender before the Lord and a humble love to his people.
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Adene Sanchez
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