True Humility

Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth (Numbers 12:3, NKJV).

What does true humility look like?  How would we recognize its presence?  Perhaps an example will help.  John Dickson writes about an incident that captures the profound humility of Sir Edmund Hillary.  You might remember him as the one who became famous as the first successful mountain climber of Mt. Everest in 1953, along with his Sherpa friend and guide, Tenzin Norgay.  Dickson writes:

On one of his many trips back to the Himalayas he was spotted by a group of tourist climbers. They begged for a photo with the great man, and Hillary obliged. They handed him an ice pick so he would look the part and set up for the photograph. Just then another climber passed the group and, not recognizing the man at the center, strode up to Hillary saying, "Excuse me, that's not how you hold an ice pick. Let me show you."  Everyone stood around in amazed silence as Hillary thanked the man, let him adjust the pick, and happily went on with the photograph.  It doesn't matter how experienced that other climber was; his greatness was diminished by this intrusive presumption. We are repelled by pride. Edmund Hillary's greatness, however, is somehow enhanced by this humility.

How would you score on a humility test?  Would you be proud of your score?   Hillary’s humility should serve as an example for all of us to avoid thinking too highly of ourselves.  He modeled humility like Moses.  Will you?