In a world dominated by social media and YouTube, where people only post the best parts of their lives on the web, it can be easy to compare your real life, with someone else’s highlight reel. When that happens, you feel pressure to post only your achievements too.
But this is not new. It’s been happening for generations.
In fact, there’s a story in the first book of the bible about a group of people who tried to build a tower to heaven in order to “make a name for themselves”. Together, they wanted to be known, respected and honored across the land for their achievements. Sound familiar?
But this motivation is in direct contrast to the teaching of God, who wants his followers to be humble.
The Hebrew word for “humility” used throughout the Bible is “anavah”, which literally means “to occupy your God-given space in the world”. The idea of “anavah” is that we should not overestimate ourselves and our abilities—that we should not take up too much space, but likewise, we should not underestimate ourselves and take up too little space.
“Anavah” is taking up our God-given space in the world. It’s about being aware and comfortable with who you are, and your place in God’s Kingdom.
Humility in the way the bible defines it is about making a name for God, not making a name for yourself. While the world determines our value based on our success, God calls us to be faithful, not successful. The world is impressed by followers and likes … God is impressed by humility and surrender.
As renowned author, CS Lewis once wrote, humility is “not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less.” Can you imagine what the world would be like, if people on social media posted about themselves less, and instead, used social media to value others?
