Humility
Humility is defined by Merriam Webster as: the quality or state of not thinking you are better than other people: the quality or state of being humble.
With that being said this is something I have struggled with since I was born. I do not know where this behavior comes from. This is not a behavior my father and or mother instilled in me. It just kinda appeared one day. I have never been humble and this is something I am working on since I have had my most vain quality taken away from me in the last two years. I never really thought I was the best looking guy or smartest guy in the room but when it came to athletic competition I believed I could beat anyone, anywhere, at any time.
This came to a screeching halt 24 months ago during a Army Flag Football game. I had come to my new unit and quickly entrenched myself as the starting quarterback for the D. Co. 344 MI BN Football Team and we were winning, boy were we winning. As a QB I had not had this much success since playing for Kappa Delta Phi at my undergraduate alma mater Brewton-Parker College and winning the colleges championship two years in a row as the QB for my fraternity. Previous to this night my new found team was gelling after a five overtime victory over a team that was much better than us athletically. The winning touchdown was scored by me on a 25 yard touchdown run that made me feel like I was the fastest man in the world. We won 35-33 and I could not be happier. We were 3-0 and it looked like D. Co. was easily on it's way to another Corry Station Flag Football Championship. Well that all changed for me on a Wednesday night in August 2011. Eight minutes into a 10 minute half Delta Co. was up 28-0 on the Navy Hospital and I had thrown two touchdown passes and run one for a touchdown while our defense had contributed with an interception for a touchdown giving us a 28-0 lead. In the huddle I called a fade route into the corner of the end zone to my best receiver and knew we would get another Touchdown. I received the snap, was flushed out of the pocket, rolled right and threw a 40 Yard BOMB into the back right corner of the end zone. As I watched it leave my hand I heard a pop and my life would never be the same. The pass was completed for another touchdown and we were up 34-0 but I had never felt pain like this before. I tried to get up and run back into the huddle but my knee gave way and I knew it was something bad. The next day I was not shocked to learn that I had torn my Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) and I would require surgery. This would begin my journey into humility. On the morning of this injury I had also run a 11:32 min. two mile Army APFT and this was the fastest time I had ever run in my life. I was feeling pretty confident about myself.
I have discovered along this journey that I am more than what I thought I was but what I was is not what I should have been as a Christian. Whenever I would score touchdowns, make good plays in softball or do good on my Army APFT tests I never would glorify God. I would always say that I did it and I was the driving force behind my success. However, I was wrong and I am 100% sure God has used this as a life experience to teach me humility.
Philippians 2:3-4 states: "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also the interests of others."
Here is where this verse comes into play regarding this matter. I have a really good friend Jeramie Auchtung in Colorado and he is probably the closest friend I have had in my adult life. Jeramie will tell you that when we played softball together the last year we played together I hit 8 home runs in softball and I had never hit a home run prior to that season. When I would cross home plate I would yell "And he touches em' all." I was playing for my church in Lone Tree, Colorado known as Cornerstone Church of Lone Tree. This was not the example as a Christian that I should have been displaying. This is also the example I brought with me to Florida and it was wrong. I am not saying that you need to be like this guy every time you something. See Below.
I am saying that as Christians we need to be giving glory to God and I honestly believe God has put me through the trial of having three knee surgeries in the last 24 months to help me understand that all things come from and through Him. During my sports playing days I should have always gloried Him in the abilities He gave me but instead I was too interested in glorifying myself. God puts us through trials not to punish us but to grow us as Christians. One should not feel that God has abandoned them because they have been through some rough times in life. Rather, we should look towards the heavenly father and say "Challenge accepted." This is not the approach I initially took when I found out the severity of my injury. I was mad, angry, and every other emotion you think a human being goes through I went through. However, this story of humility goes even further.
Four months after surgery I was released to start jogging again. While at physical therapy on the treadmill my knee bent backwards the wrong way and I felt a hard twinge in my knee but kept going. After this happened I repeatedly expressed to the physical therapists that something was wrong but no one wanted to hear what I had to say. So after a massive amount of complaining, two infections, almost losing the lower right half of my leg due to infection and three knee surgeries God is still teaching me more about myself.
When reading this above mentioned verse the second part really speaks to how this injury has effected my family. By playing football at the age of 33 with kids almost half my age I was really looking out for my own personal interests. My wife had repeatedly asked me not to play football any longer. I think she knew God was trying to tell me something and when God is talking you need to listen. Here is how I know. 2009 Flag Football Season Grade Two Concussion, 2010 Flag Football Season Partially Torn Ligament in Right Foot, BTW I had just recovered from the foot injury when I tore my ACL. Wifey had asked me several times to pull it back a notch and just play softball but I refused to listen. If I had been looking out for the interests of my family and not just my personal fulfillment I would not be in the situation I am now. I honestly believe God does not want me to play football ever again and that He probably had been telling me that for a couple years. I refused to listen. God will speak to you through other people and as a Christian you should always be prepared to listen. God was speaking to me through my wife for three years and when I chose not to listen too many times He gave me a wake up call. I kind of liken it to the story of Jonah as he tried not to go to Nineveh. Although I had not been charged with speaking to a mass population about their sin I was charged with listening to Him through my wife and looking out for the best interests of my family. Since my surgery we have been unable to do fun things and spent many a day in a doctors office because of me. My injury has taken away from fun time with my daughter and adventures we could have had as a family. However, I know I have a good wife because she has stood by me through all of this mess. That's what this is A MESS.
With all this being said here is a simple solution to humility in life. When you do something good for someone else, score a run, write a good report, get a good grade. Don't be this guy. See below.
Rather, be this guy (see below) and see if how people respond to your faith and love of Christ differently.
Celebrate with those who helped you get there, appreciate those that helped you and always look out for the Christian brother or sister in your life. God Bless.
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