The most alarming thing in your last account of the patient is that he is making none of those confident resolutions which marked his original conversion. No more lavish promises of perpetual virtue, I gather; not even the expectation of an endowment of 'grace' for life, but only a hope for the daily and hourly pittance to meet the daily and hourly temptation! This is very bad.
I see only one thing to do at the moment. Your patient has become humble; have you drawn his attention to the fact? All virtues are less formidable to us once the man is aware that he has them, but this is specially true of humility. Catch him at the moment when he is really poor in spirit and smuggle into his mind the gratifying reflection, "By jove! I'm being humble", and almost immediately pride- pride at his own humility- will appear. If he awakes to the danger and tries to smother this new form of pride, make him proud of his attempt- and so on, through as many stages as you please.
-Screwtape in 'The Screwtape Letters' By C.S.Lewis
For those of you who are unfamiliar with The Screwtape Letters, it is written from the point of view of a senior devil instructing his young nephew in the art of tempting humans, or "patients", as we are referred to. Creepy, yes, but very enlightening.
This section of the book made me want to laugh and cry at the same time. While it is almost comical to think of being proud over one's own humility, isn't this the very picture of the human heart? We ask God to take away our pride while patting ourselves on the back for asking such a noble thing. Then we secretly think, "If only so-and-so could see how contrite and religious I am. Then they would admire me." How many of us would be brave enough to admit to such thoughts?
Thankfully, there is hope. God is more than willing to give you true humility. Do you genuinely desire to give Him the glory for all things? He desires for you to do that too. Fortunately, He does not expect you to find a way on your own.
This precious hymn of true humility was just brought to mind. May these words be your prayer as well as mine.
Take My Life
Take my life and let it be,
Consecrated Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my hands and let them move,
At the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet, and let them be,
Swift and beautiful for Thee.
Take my voice and let me sing,
Always only for my King.
Take my lips and let them be,
Filled with messages from Thee.
Take my silver and my gold,
Not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect and use,
Every power as Thou shalt chose.
Take my will, and make it Thine,
It shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is Thine own,
It shall be Thy royal throne.
Take my love; my Lord I pour,
At Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself, and I will be,
Ever, only, all for Thee.
~Frances R. Havergal
posted by Lydia
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