Great people tend to see themselves as little while little people tend to see themselves as great.  We all know that one of the pop bands that has made a big splash in the music world is the Beatles.  Once a reporter asked Paul McCartney, the bassist of the band, about the Beatles’ place in “Western culture.” Listen to his answer, “You must be kidding with that question.  It’s not culture, it’s a good laugh.”  In other words, Paul McCartney sees the Beatles, his band, as a good laugh, or something fun.  Nothing fancy.  No big deal.  Just a band.

Sadly, many in Christian ministry are not like Paul McCartney.  Many think that they are big shots who make a big dent on the lives of a lot of people.  They think of themselves as great while in fact, they prove themselves as little.  But thank God, there are still folks used by God mightily who remain humble. They refuse to be called great; they make it their goal to extoll Christ; and they make it their habit not to think about what they have done.  Instead, they only think of doing what they are supposed to do—serving Christ and others.

We can measure humility in many ways; one of them is by how we treat others considered unimportant. We can act humbly before those deemed important, but we may not care to talk to those who are considered unimportant.  One man that embodied humility was Dr. Vernon Grounds, who was considered one of the pioneers of Christian counseling in this country.  Once I met him in the dining area with another man, getting ready to go somewhere.  So, I asked him if he had time to talk to me.  He seemed pressed with time, but he graciously invited me to go to his office, after telling his friend to wait for him.  For a few minutes he entertained my questions about this field of counseling that I was about to enter. I don’t remember the questions I asked, but I remember the encounter.  How he, the important, treated me, the unimportant, with love and grace.

Pastor Paul