What is the opposite of humility? You can tell when a person is humble. A person just the opposite would be . . . proud . . . vain . . . haughty. . . . Yes, all of those. The first deadly sin is pride. Pride means that we think too highly of ourselves. Helmsman Haughty, you may remember, was on Satan's ship.
Behind our Lord's house at Nazareth there was a garden. In it there was a watering can for flowers. So proud of himself was this watering can that he despised a little earthen vessel that lay by the garden path, not very big and not very beautiful. "Bah," the watering can would say to this little vessel, "of what use are you? I am so fine that I am always used to water the garden." Every morning that watering can used to say this to the vessel. But listen to this poem about what happened one afternoon.
The Master stood in His garden
And marked with observant eye
That His lilies were sadly drooping
For their leaves were parched and dry.
"My lilies need to be watered"
The heavenly Master said,
"Wherein shall I draw it for them,
And revive each drooping head?"
Close to His feet on the pathway,
Empty and frail and small,
An earthen vessel was lying,
Which seemed of no use at all.
But the Master saw it and raised it
From the dust in which it lay,
And smiled as He gently whispered,
"This shall do My work today."
So to the fountain He took it
And filled it to the brim.
How glad was the earthen vessel
To be of some use to Him.
He poured forth the living water
Over the lilies fair,
Until the vessel was empty
And again He filled it there.
And unto itself it whispered
As He laid it down once more:
"Still will I lay in His pathway,
Just where I lay before;
Close would I keep to the Master,
Still empty would I remain,
And perhaps some day He may use me
To water His flowers again."
-"The Watered Lilies," M. S. Burke, C.SS.R.
There you have a lesson. What do you think of it? Christ loves humility. "Whosoever is a little one, let him come to me." Pride comes before a fall. Which would you rather be, the proud watering can or the humble earthen vessel?
Your task for the week . . . on some occasion during the week, be humble. Admit for once that the other fellow is right in an argument or that the other girl isn't really as bad as you think. It was not the proud watering can but the humble earthen vessel which our Lord picked to do his work. Pride comes before a fall — but Christ loves humility.
-Heavenwords, Imprimatur 1941 -
Behind our Lord's house at Nazareth there was a garden. In it there was a watering can for flowers. So proud of himself was this watering can that he despised a little earthen vessel that lay by the garden path, not very big and not very beautiful. "Bah," the watering can would say to this little vessel, "of what use are you? I am so fine that I am always used to water the garden." Every morning that watering can used to say this to the vessel. But listen to this poem about what happened one afternoon.
The Master stood in His garden
And marked with observant eye
That His lilies were sadly drooping
For their leaves were parched and dry.
"My lilies need to be watered"
The heavenly Master said,
"Wherein shall I draw it for them,
And revive each drooping head?"
Close to His feet on the pathway,
Empty and frail and small,
An earthen vessel was lying,
Which seemed of no use at all.
But the Master saw it and raised it
From the dust in which it lay,
And smiled as He gently whispered,
"This shall do My work today."
So to the fountain He took it
And filled it to the brim.
How glad was the earthen vessel
To be of some use to Him.
He poured forth the living water
Over the lilies fair,
Until the vessel was empty
And again He filled it there.
And unto itself it whispered
As He laid it down once more:
"Still will I lay in His pathway,
Just where I lay before;
Close would I keep to the Master,
Still empty would I remain,
And perhaps some day He may use me
To water His flowers again."
-"The Watered Lilies," M. S. Burke, C.SS.R.
There you have a lesson. What do you think of it? Christ loves humility. "Whosoever is a little one, let him come to me." Pride comes before a fall. Which would you rather be, the proud watering can or the humble earthen vessel?
Your task for the week . . . on some occasion during the week, be humble. Admit for once that the other fellow is right in an argument or that the other girl isn't really as bad as you think. It was not the proud watering can but the humble earthen vessel which our Lord picked to do his work. Pride comes before a fall — but Christ loves humility.
-Heavenwords, Imprimatur 1941 -
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