Integral Mission, Humility and Lifestyle[1]
A summary by Tim Chester based on a presentation by C B Samuel
The subject of humility might appear out of place in a discussion of integral mission and Christian development. But according to Micah 6:8 walking humbly before the Lord is as much a requirement of God as seeking justice and showing kindness. God repeatedly warns his people against the sin of pride. Humility is close to God’s heart. God esteems those who are humble and brings down the proud.
Humility is important because pride is so natural for us. If you want to grow weeds you do not need to do anything, but if you want to grow rice you must cultivate it. It is the same with pride and humility. Pride grows naturally, but humility must be cultivated. But this does not mean adopting certain outward postures. Humility cannot be reduced to external actions – it is the inner environment of the heart. It is a characteristic of a person who is secure in God. And walking humbly is about corporate life as well as personal walk. As development agencies we can too easily want to promote our successes and find it hard to celebrate the achievements of others.
I want to highlight a number of ways in which humility is crucial to the task of integral mission.
1. Humility and the marginalized
There are many ways we look at the poor. We can see them as statistics, as objects of charity or as victims of injustice. But true humility is seeing the poor as those who represent God. We can too easily have professional concern for the poor from 9.00 to 5.00, but then want nothing to do with them. Mother Teresa said that every foot she tended she looked on as the foot of Jesus.
The story is told of a man who died and went to heaven. To his surprise he found there was a bank in heaven. But when he went to make a withdrawal he was told he had no funds in his account. How, he asked, could he have made deposits when there were no branches on earth? ‘Did you not read Jesus words?’ the clerk replied. ‘Give to the poor and you will receive treasure in heaven. The poor are the representatives of the bank of heaven.’ As he was pondering these words, a development worker came in to make his first withdrawal, but he too found he had no funds. ‘You deposited a lot of money with the poor,’ explained the bank clerk, ‘but none of it was yours.’
God gives us an opportunity to know him more through the poor. We lose out when we do not read the word of God with the poor of the world. We must see the poor not as objects of charity, but people from whom we can learn.
2. Humility and transformation
Jesus said: 'Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth'. He came into Jerusalem on a donkey to send the message that the world belongs to those who are humble. We need to ask whether we and our organizations reflect a culture of humility for humility is the approach of the kingdom. There are many ways of exercising power in our world – through money, power and prestige. But Jesus taught us that meekness is the way to exercise power in the kingdom of God. Humility is God’s method for changing the world. The one who reigns on the throne of heaven is the lamb who was slain.
In 2 Corinthians 4:7 Paul says we have God’s treasure in earthen vessels. Transformation is only possible through broken vessels. We need to find room for broken people in our organizations and communities. Then the ordinary people of the world will say of us that we are their kind of community. Communities of hope are communities of broken people.
3. Humility and leadership
When he washed his disciples’ feet, Jesus gave us a model of leadership. Humility is a style of leadership in which we build the people whom we serve. This is borne out of a secure relationship with God. In India there is a saying: ‘If you are meek people will sit on your head’ – they will exploit your humility. But humility is the only model we have been given by God. In 1 Corinthians 4 Paul says the Apostles are ‘at the end of the procession’. They are ‘the scum of the earth’. This is authentic Christian leadership. If you choose to be irrelevant you are not out of touch. You are where most of the world is. The poor of the world are not relevant. When we become the scum of the world we become what the poor already are.
Moses was called the most humble of men. It was said of him at a time when Miriam and Aaron were opposing him. Humility is perhaps tested most when people criticize you. Moses’ response was not to retaliate, but to intercede for them. Humble leadership is also reflected in a willingness to co-operate with others. Too often our instinct is to compete with others, but people of humility work with one another.
4. Humility and lifestyle
The problem with lifestyle is not its theory, but its practice. The story is told of an Indian guru who taught his disciples to live on just the basic necessities of life. One day he sent his best disciple out to make his own way in the world. This disciple owned only two loin clothes – one to wear while the other was washed. And so this disciple lived, each day wearing one cloth while he washed the other. One day a rat ate his spare cloth as it hung out to dry. His neighbours gave him another, but he realized he also needed a cat to keep the rat away. And because the cat needed milk he got a cow. To feed the cow he obtained a small piece of land for fodder. Soon he was hiring people to cultivate the land so he did not have to interrupt his meditations. In time he acquired a large estate and a fine house. One day his guru came by. Seeing the large house, he asked his disciple how this had happened. The disciple said: 'I need all this to protect my loin cloth’.
When many of us were young Christians we committed ourselves to radical lifestyles. But now we have many justifications for the possessions that over time we have acquired. We need to recover a biblical perspective on wealth and money. Jesus sees money as a spiritual force. He says we need consciously to short-circuit its power in our lives. Jacques Ellul said Jesus was the only one who was prepared to describe money as mammon.
We need to define limits for consumption. We evangelicals have a theology for the creation and distribution of wealth, but we need to have a theology of consumption. We need to define what is enough. We need to learn that we do not need own everything. We need to explore the possibilities of sharing with others and owning things communally.
Humility is not an option for those committed to holistic ministry. Humility is the strength of transformation. Humility is central to the character of Jesus. Humility is a characteristic God wants all of us to have. Jesus said: 'Learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart'.
[1] This paper also appears in Justice, Mercy and Humility, ed. Tim Chester, (Carlisle: Paternoster, 2003)