Rooted In Humility

I've shared a great deal over the years about my experiences growing up in the fundamentalist Baptist world.  There was a lot to be critical of, to be sure.  It's a testament to the grace of God that despite everything, I came back to the Church and do what I do. 

I have to confess there have been more than a few times when I've looked down upon the people and places that were a part of my upbringing from a high and haughty distance.  But I owe a great deal to so many people from that time in my life.  

I am thinking today of kind-hearted Sunday school teachers who put up with my incessant questions and demonstrated God's grace and patience.  I'm remembering my youth director and basketball coach from high school, who spent time with me and encouraged me.  

I'm also thinking of my parents, who did their very best to teach me good values, instilled in me a love for the stories in the Bible, and encouraged me to read it cover to cover.  

There are many roots to my faith that had to be dug up and discarded over the years, but I would be nothing without these older, deeper, and invaluable ones that grew long ago and have nourished me all my life.  

Henrietta Newton Martin once wrote:

“You may reach the tree top, and seem to touch the sky, but know that the tree you’re resting on is grounded and rooted in the soil, deep in the earth.”

This beautiful image captures the essence of humility in the Christian life. We may reach high places—through success, leadership, or spiritual growth—but we must never forget that everything we are depends on the deep, unseen roots of grace that hold us steady. 

Just as a tree’s height means nothing without its roots, our accomplishments and virtues are empty if they are not grounded in humility before God.

Jesus modeled this truth perfectly. Though he was “in very nature God,” he “did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing... and became obedient to death—even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:6–8). Christ’s humility was not weakness—it was divine strength expressed through surrender, compassion, and love.

Pride tempts us to believe we can thrive without roots—to live as if we are self-made, self-sufficient, and self-secure. 

But when life’s winds blow, shallow roots cannot hold. The prophet Micah reminds us what God truly requires: “to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). Walking humbly means remembering that every good thing we have—every gift, every success, every breath—comes from God’s hand.

Humility is not about thinking less of ourselves, but about thinking of ourselves less. 

It is about living in awareness of our dependence on God and our interconnectedness with others. It allows us to extend grace rather than judgment, to serve rather than seek status, and to find joy not in being admired but in being faithful.

So let us stay rooted—our souls nourished by God’s love, our hearts grounded in gratitude, and our lives bearing fruit for the good of the world.

Prayer:
Gracious God, keep me grounded in Your love and truth. When I am tempted toward pride or self-reliance, remind me that every good gift comes from You. Teach me to walk humbly, to serve gladly, and to reflect Your mercy and grace in all I do. Amen.

Reflection Questions:

1. What practices help you stay “rooted” in humility and gratitude?

2. How has pride—or the desire to appear “put together”—ever kept you from depending on God?

3. What might it look like to live humbly in your relationships, work, and community this week?