Humility Isn't a Weakness

Pride tends to run rampant in athletics from the earliest ages to the professional leagues.

Often, pride is excused due to the talent level of the individual. Have you heard the saying, “It’s not trash talk if you are good”? That’s a statement dripping with prideful attitudes. On the other hand, humility or meekness is often overlooked or even frowned upon in sports. Our society tends to think that if you are being meek, you are backing down or showing weakness.

In Jesus’ third statement in His Sermon on the Mount, He talks about how the humble or meek will inherit the earth. The word for humble in the original language means far more in Greek than we give it credit for in English. In Greek, it means strength controlled or having the right balance of your strengths.

To be humble isn’t to shrink back but to step forward, not leading with your strengths but with the strengths of Christ. It’s to recognize that your only source of strength comes not from your talents but from the Holy Spirit inside of you. Humility is strength.

We are told that those who can show humility won’t lose out in this world but will be blessed. Too often, we have seen a young star athlete get a multi-million-dollar contract, blow all that money, and be left with nothing. What we don’t see in the headlines is the athlete who is responsible and respectful with the money they are given.

In the long run, the athlete who takes a humble approach to their sport often receives the most blessings.