So after three or four years on my fly on the rock parable – thank you if you stayed with me through it all. Now I get to finish Bernard of Clairvaux’s Steps of Pride.
There are 12 steps down, but what’s the way up?
Fortunately the 900 year old French monk has an answer to that question:
“The same steps lead up to the throne and down; the same road leads to the city and from it; one door is the entrance of the house and the exit; Jacob saw the angels ascending and descending on the same ladder [GN 28:12] What does this all mean? Simply that if you desire to return to truth [humility], you do not have to seek a new way which you know not, but the known way by which you descended. Retracing your own path, you may ascend in humility by the same steps which you descended in pride…when these steps of pride are discovered or rather remembered in yourself, there is no difficulty in finding the way of humility.”
This clever monk had this planned the whole time – to get us to humility he dragged us down the Steps of Pride first – then pointed up the stairs. So smart. Kind of devious – In that “God” kind of way. Don’t you think?
He writes more:
“…there are twelve steps of humility…fear of the Lord, ignoring desire, submission to a superior, perfect obedience, complete confession, admission of your inferiority, conventionality, silence, gravity, restrained speech and downcast eyes. The first step is that fear of the Lord which makes a man attentive to his own peril; the last is that perfect introversion which prevents him even looking at external things.”
If I am to be humble, as our Lord was humble, than the steps down are the way up. The ladder looks a little like this:
Curiousity …………………………………….. Humble eyes
Frivolousness …………………………………. keeping things in godly perspective
Foolish mirth ………………………………….. Gravity
Boastfullness …………………………………… Silence
Singularity ……………………………………… Convention (no person is an island)
Conceit …………………………………………… Belief of (God centered) inferiority
Audacity …………………………………………. Admission of (God centered) inferiority
Excusing Sins …………………………………… Obedience
Hypocritical Confession …………………….. Honest confession
Defiance before God …………………………… Submission to God
Freedom to Sin ………………………………….. Restraining Desire
Habitual Sinning ………………………………… Fear of the Lord
That’s the way.
The way of humility.
The way of Our Lord.
If I want to be like him, it takes choice.
It takes intention.
It takes His Spirit.
It doesn’t happen by mistake.
I heart the writing of Augustine:
“Next, one must reflect on this: there is no person who could not have some good quality, albeit hidden, which you do not yet have, by which that person could doubtlessly be superior to you. This consideration is of importance in the crushing and subduing of pride”
Choice
Intention
God’s Spirit
Humility is to be like Our Lord.
I want to be like Our Lord.
God bless
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
This is so powerful…I heart the Cliff notes summary…it helps me grasp all the steps for reflection and self-checking…Two columns of description-two completely different versions of the same person. Then what you write after the columns…I love that part too! Thank you, Craig, for all this, and thank you, Father, for sending Craig as such a gifted guide!
A. You are way too kind – but then you always are – thank you. And you’re right – it is two sides of the same person – thanks for reading A. And always with the thoughtful comments.
This was such a blessing! And that we don’t have to seek a way up that we do not know.
Thank you for sharing the ladder comparison. Like A . . .that really helped me see it better and understand. Great, great take aways here about pride and about humility! You did good. God bless you as He teaches us through you!
Thanks for telling me “I did good” – – not that I’m insecure and need the incouragment or anything (yes I am – keep doing it :). God Bless, Deb