Lost Virtues: The Truth About Humility
Hey friends—welcome to the “Lost Virtues” series. I’m Nefreteri, and I’m here to set the record straight on one of the most misunderstood virtues in the world and a foundational one: humility.
Let’s just start with the truth.
Humility is a virtue of God. It’s beautiful. It’s powerful. And yes—it’s been completely distorted by culture.
The Virtue Framework
Just like kindness, humility is a virtue that sits in the middle, between two extremes:
Vice: Pride — the belief that you don’t need anyone, including God. Self-sufficiency, arrogance, and superiority.
Extreme: False Modesty — denying your God-given worth, playing small, or pretending to be humble for appearance’s sake.
Virtue: Humility — a clear, sober view of who you are in light of who God is. Not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself rightly.
True humility allows you to receive love, correction, grace, and mission—all without inflating or deflating your identity.
The Problem with the World’s Definition
I looked up humility in the dictionary, and honestly? I could see why it comes off as distasteful. Words like lowly, of little importance, ” and ” submissive came up, and I thought—”no wonder nobody wants to be humble.” That definition sounds like you’re supposed to be invisible, irrelevant almost worthless.
But here’s the thing: when humility is stripped of God, it turns into something unattractive. It gets reduced to being a doormat or shrinking yourself down.
And that’s not the kind of humility Jesus modeled.
The Believer’s Lens: Always Through Christ
For believers, we don’t start with society’s values. We start with God’s truth. ALWAYS.
Non-believers can define life however they want. They often start with themselves. But we start with Jesus Christ. We see the world through His life, His teachings, His love—and that changes everything.
Humility isn’t about thinking less of yourself. It’s about thinking of yourself correctly—in light of who God is and who you are in Him.
Replacing Virtues with Values
Our culture has tried to replace virtues like humility with values that are more self-serving. “Stay humble” has turned into a nice little phrase you might hear in a celebrity speech or on a coffee mug—but let’s be real. Most people abandon humility when it gets in the way of success. For Real!
That’s because humility won’t gain you the world. But it will help you inherit the Kingdom. (not salvation by works, don’t get confused here)
And that’s the point for us. We’re not living for this world—we’re living for eternity.
Humility as a Foundation
As stated before, humility is foundational. It shapes how we relate to other people—and more importantly, how we relate to God.
A lot of other virtues aren’t even accessible until we approach life with humility. Without it, we default to the opposite: pride.
Pride is the original sin. It’s what caused Satan to fall. And if you read James 4:6-7, you’ll see exactly what God thinks of it:
“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
That last line is key. Pride didn’t just affect Satan—it infected all of us. It’s the human default setting. We don’t want to need help. We don’t want to depend on anyone. Especially not God.
But we’re not made to be self-sufficient. We’re made to be God-dependent.
Humility and Perspective
Humility begins with remembering this simple truth: we are created.
We didn’t make ourselves. We didn’t earn every blessing we have. We didn’t choose where we were born, what talents we have, or what opportunities come our way.
You’ve probably heard someone say, “They just won the genetic lottery,” or, “They’re so lucky.” But there’s no such thing as luck when you believe in Providence. There is a Creator—and you were made on purpose, for a purpose.
If you were born in America, you’re already among the world’s most privileged. If you have health, education, a roof over your head—you didn’t earn those things. They were given.
And if God gave them, then they aren’t a reason to boast—they’re a reason to serve.
Look at Jesus
Jesus Christ didn’t just come to die for us. He came to live among us and show us what humility looks like. Jesus lived to show us how to live!
He was born in a stable. Not in a palace. He had no place to rest His head. He washed His disciples’ feet. He said, the first shall be last, and the last shall be first.
Let that sink in.
This is the Creator of the universe, humbling Himself to live as a poor man, to serve others, to be mocked and rejected—and then crucified.
If He did that, how can we say, “That’s beneath me”?
That’s the kind of radical humility we’re called to. It’s not about putting yourself down. It’s about lifting others up—because you know who you are in Christ.
The Excess: When Humility Goes Off Track
Every virtue, when distorted, leads to a vice. On one end, we have pride. On the other end, we have excess humility—which shows up in two ways:
- False Modesty – Putting on a show of humility to appear virtuous (Jesus had a lot to say to the Pharisees about this).
- Self-Loathing / Low Self-Esteem – Believing you have no worth.
Let’s be clear: low self-esteem is not humility. It’s actually a misunderstanding of God’s love.
If you believe in a Creator, then you know you were created with care. Jesus didn’t die for garbage. He died for you—because you are valuable to Him.
Self-loathing often starts with criticism—from parents, teachers, or society. But it can be healed by meditating on the truth of your value in Christ.
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus…”
– Romans 8:1
God doesn’t condemn you—He redeems you.
Final Thought: Embracing Poverty (of Spirit)
One of the most powerful teachers of humility is poverty—and I don’t just mean financial poverty. I mean spiritual poverty. The kind Jesus mentions in the Beatitudes:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 5:3
It’s the humility to know that you need God. That you’re not enough on your own. That this world isn’t your home. That you’re just passing through.
When you live like that—everything changes.
Let’s Recap
- Humility is a virtue of God, not a weakness.
- It’s about knowing who you are in relation to God and others.
- Pride is the root sin—but even self-loathing is a distortion of humility.
- Look to Jesus for the ultimate example of what it means to live humbly.
- And remember: you are loved, valued, and created on purpose.
If this challenged or encouraged you, stay with me in this Lost Virtues series—we’ve got more coming.
Stay Salty Christians 😉,
Nefreteri
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