In our Christian faith, humility is rooted in the very character of God revealed in the life of Jesus Christ. In this reflection, I will explore humility through an Indigenous Christian lens and attempt to find some common threads that bring our understandings together.
The Indigenous People of this Land have treasured and cared for the wisdom of the Seven Sacred Teachings, passing it down from generation to generation. In these teachings, the wolf represents humility and models it. When you consider wolf behaviour, this beautiful animal lives for the good of the pack, not for individual dominance. The wolf survives through cooperation, loyalty, and awareness of interdependence. One of my favourite wolf teachings is that humility recognizes that one’s gifts are not owned but entrusted—given for the well-being of the community.
In this Anglican Church that I love, I have the joy of serving as a Deacon, part of a servant ministry, bringing the needs of the world back to the church. I have been entrusted with this responsibility, and one of the blessings is that I have seen many talented people use their gifts of caring and sharing in our communities. Some examples include meal or refreshment preparations for after services, using their gift of hospitality for visitors, meeting with the community who come to the Epiphany Food Pantry ministry, or generous folks who collect items for Rupert’s Land Wechetowin efforts to help others beyond our church walls. In other cases, we find talented people who take on Warden roles, or are Vestry Reps, or serve on national committees like ACIP or Diocesan Counsels. I bet you know people who are humble servants, too. I think that people who generously use the gifts they have been entrusted with is an act of humility, even though we may not always recognize it as such. They help whomever they can—serving for the good of the pack.
Humility is often misunderstood as weakness or silence. Yet, in both Indigenous and Christian worldviews, humility is not that at all; it is about standing as we are, neither shrinking nor inflating ourselves. Having the posture of reverence is not always an easy task in the world we find ourselves in. Knowing and behaving in a manner that we are not the centre of creation is contrary to many normative ways of everyday activity. Humility is claiming interdependence, admitting that we need each other. That is not weakness but rather self-awareness. As people of God, we try to remember that we belong to something larger than ourselves, and we intentionally use our gifts to serve the community when possible.
The Gospel message shows Jesus continued to take the form of a servant during his time with us. Christ models leadership in the Gospel of John when he kneels to wash feet. Authority bends down; reverence expresses itself through service. An excellent example of this is in John 13:1-17. Take time to read the whole passage. If we move towards verse 16, Jesus says to us, “Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.” Jesus modelled divine self-giving, not weakness, showing vulnerability in his love for each of us. This was a gift of humility and servanthood. To walk with wolf humility is to lead in ways that preserve the dignity of others.
I think another common thread can be found in the actions of listening before speaking. Jesus had power yet did not misuse it. He holds influence carefully and, in practicing humility, we also have opportunities to do so in our everyday lives, whether we are parents, teachers, elders, clergy or community leaders. Humility may look like restoration instead of humiliation, as we resist the urge to correct, control, or claim authority over others. We will need to continue to hold fast to truth-telling and be ready to open the doors for transformation to take place in each of us. We are all works in progress, are we not? Understanding ourselves as unfinished may help us live with an awareness of possibly becoming gentler with ourselves and with others.
At times, I struggle to know when to lead and when to follow. Knowing when to be assertive and when to yield requires discernment when we remember to frame actions in humility. The prophet Micah writes: “What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God?”[1] The phrase “walk humbly” echoes the Indigenous spiritual language of “walking in a good way.” When I read this passage, it connects with my Indigenous understandings to try our best to live in balance, relational accountability, and respect for Creation. Both traditions frame faith as a way of walking, a way of being called to spiritual maturity and knowing one’s place in the circle. I love how elders often encourage us to take the risk of walking outside our comfort zones, because sometimes we will get it right. During those times when I fall short, get it wrong, I am so very happy I have a God of grace who helps me on this journey to learn from my mistakes.
Even if I look outside Scripture, it is clear how important humility is in spiritual maturation. There is a book by Raymond Aldred and Matthew Anderson called //Our Home and Treaty Land//, in which they emphasize that walking in humility is about orientation, with a heart that recognizes Covenant in how we carry ourselves in this time of reconciliation. This will include walking with the land, with community and with truth. If we can remember to recognize land as a gift, and ourselves as caretakers instead of owners, we have a chance of being closer to the heart of the Gospel message.
I trust that God’s spirit will direct our pathway and probably take us out of our comfort zone at times. That is exciting and a bit daunting in the same breath. I see in both my Indigenous and Christian teachings that humility requires us to intentionally walk, listen and serve faithfully, always remembering that we belong to something larger than ourselves. May God continue to help us be reminded of the examples of humility we have learned about today, and may we apply those teachings as we continue to ask God to be with us on a good path for tomorrow. Amen.
[1] Micah 6:8
