Summary Of Humility By Thomas Potemis

Thomas á Kempis begins The Imitation of Christ by stating that man should not be concerned about whether other men are for or against him because God will always be with him. When man is concerned about whether other men are for or against him, he becomes judgmental, prideful and envious. Instead of worrying, man should take encouragement out of the fact that God will always be with him. Man can then clear his conscious, the foundation of humility. Humility is “the virtue by which a Christian acknowledges that God is the author of all good. Humility avoids inordinate ambition or pride, and provides the foundation for turning to God in prayer.” By clearing his conscious, man distances himself from pridefulness, envy, jealousy, and gossip, allowing him to rightly judge. With a clear conscience, man can learn how to silently bear the hatred of men and other sufferings. Man is not alone when he suffers silently because he is putting God first, who will certainly aid man with bearing his sufferings silently. For as Kempis wrote: “it is a divine prerogative to help men and free them from all distress.”
Man can practice humility by admitting his faults to …show more content…
Living on a college campus, I am exposed to many people on a daily basis. It is a part of a person’s nature to talk about other people, however, this often becomes negative. It became easy for me to share harmful comments about the people around me. This is founded on my faults of pridefulness and judging others. Through degrading others in judging them, I made it easier for myself to share these hurtful thoughts with others. For it is easier to share other’s faults, than my own. By judging others, I view myself as superior to them, not as the equals we are. This distorts my way of thinking and leads to me concentrating on and forcing my way versus God’s