Has Humility Gone Out of Style?

I have been reading a lot about Christ-like behavior lately. It has appeared on several of the blogs I follow. Being humble is one of those behaviors that seems to have gone out of style. Our society doesn’t seem to value humility the way we once did. Think about your parents or grandparents, those who were part of the ‘Greatest Generation,” the WWII adults. They had being humble down pretty good didn’t they? Just look at Captain America, humility personified. (Actor Chris Evans is pretty easy on the eyes too! lol)

If I channel my parents and my Grandma, I can hear them saying something like this: If we concentrate on doing good for others, and save our praise for God, we don’t have time to worry about getting people to like us. Kinda profound isn’t it? It’s true though, and do we like to be around people who constantly brag or are just plain arrogant? So, one reason to try to be humble, would be so others will like being around us. Then, there is the fact that scripture actually TELLS US to be humble. Psychologists say that this is one behavior that people exhibit when they have low self-esteem. Some people have even given it a name, “short man syndrome.” In an attempt to explain why many short men are know-it-alls, this syndrome name is given to men with low self-esteem due to their lack of height. They overcompensate by trying to appear very knowledgeable, and end up coming off as arrogant. Of course we know this is not just a trait of men, or even short people. Low self-esteem is responsible for many unflattering behaviors. Our culture values high self-esteem, but scripture tells us that neither low nor high self-esteem is desirable. Instead, we need a balanced view of ourselves. We should give high-esteem to God and focus on others. Jesus gave us the priorities we should follow, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." Mark 12:30-31

The Bible has a lot to say about being humble. Just using a cross reference, here are a few passages of scripture I found:

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.  Ephesians 4:2

Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. 1 Peter 3:8  

But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." James 4:6

"For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you." Romans 12:3

He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. Luke 1:52

 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. James 4:10

From a culture that obviously values high self-esteem: