Humility is thinking of others instead of yourself and acting on their best interest instead of your own. Humility is on-purpose behavior.

There are some tangible things you can do to grow in humility. For instance, you can start by admitting when you are wrong. This comes a little easier for some than others.

All of us make mistakes. Unfortunately, we do so with great regularity.

Do you readily admit it when you are wrong? Can you take full responsibility without making excuses for your behavior? Or are you often tempted to want to add a footnote to your apology? “I was wrong, but …” The other issue is that we sometimes tend to make excuses for what we have done.

The Living Bible paraphrases Proverbs 28:13 like this: “A man who refuses to admit his mistakes can never be successful. But if he confesses and forsakes them, he gets another chance.”

Other translations refer to trying to hide or conceal our sin. The goal is open personal confession and complete ownership of our wrongdoing.

Maybe you grew up in a home where you never heard anyone say, “I’m sorry.” No one ever admitted it when they were wrong. As a result, now you have a hard time admitting you are wrong. Or maybe you think that will be a blow to your self-esteem to admit you were wrong.

Can I let you in on a secret? When you are wrong, most of the time, everybody else already knows it. Why not go ahead and admit it yourself? Sometimes, the first step toward healing in a relationship is humility.

A second tangible way to grow in humility is to practice surrendering ourselves to God. Psalm 37:7 says, “Surrender yourself to the LORD, and wait patiently for him.” (God’s word)

Surrendering your life to the Lord can be a humbling process. It may mean following God’s lead without knowing where he’s sending you.

It may mean waiting for God’s timing without knowing when it will come. It may mean expecting a miracle without knowing how God will provide or trusting God’s purpose without understanding the circumstances.

You know you’re surrendered to God when you can rely on God to work things out instead of trying to manipulate others, force your agenda and control the situation yourself.

Surrender means you are ready to let go and let God work. You decide to humbly give up control. Instead of trying harder, you decide to trust more.

You may read Steve Greene’s blog

at pastorgreene.wordpress.com or you can email him at [email protected].