May 27 – The Freedom of Humility
The higher we are placed, the more humbly we should walk. Cicero
Gregg’s Reflection
For much of my life, humility felt like something I should try to “achieve”—ironically turning it into another competition in my head. But humility isn’t about self-deprecation or trying to appear unimportant. It’s about standing in the truth of who I am in God—no more, no less—and letting go of the games the ego plays.
When I began to truly receive God’s unconditional love, as Beatrice Bruteau describes, something shifted. To be loved so profoundly and securely, beyond all my circumstances, releases the energy I once poured into defending and protecting myself. All that striving became unnecessary, and what replaced it was joy—a desire to give myself freely to others, without the need to prove or protect. That love created space for others to be loved as they are, and for that love to ripple outward.
Humility frees us from the weight of managing an image. We can stop editing ourselves to look impressive, and simply live as beloved children of God. That’s the freedom humility offers—not less of me, but more room for God to shine through me.
Scripture
He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.
Psalm 25:9
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
Matthew 23:12
Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’
1 Peter 5:5
Ancient Quotes
The higher we are placed, the more humbly we should walk.
Cicero, Pro Plancio
It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows.
Epictetus, Discourses
Modern Quotes
Receiving Unconditional Love: To be loved so profoundly and so securely… releases the energy that had been committed to the tasks of defending and augmenting oneself. All this becomes unnecessary… The one liberated by love now loves others. and each of them, being liberated, loves still others, and the love and liberation spread.
Beatrice Bruteau, The Grand Option, p. 8, 12
We cannot navigate the world without an ego, yet our ego traps us in fear, clinging, hoarding, and competing. The movement from False Self to True Self is the gradual releasing of the ego to move towards soul and union with God. Contemplate the movement from ego to soul this image
Journaling Prompts
- Where in your life do you feel the need to prove yourself?
- How might releasing comparison create more freedom for you?
- What would living as your true, humble self look like in daily life?
👉 Go deeper into this week’s theme:
Read the full Week 21 Reflection: Humility vs Ego