Day 15

Hope is Humility

Micah 6:8
"He has shown you, O mortal what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy and to walk
humbly with your God."

While I was contemplating humility I decided
to search it out a little.  In searching I found
a wonderful story told by President David O McKay.
It is a long story yet I wanted to share it.  I will do my
best to share a short account of the story.

There was an artist who had been laboring on a
painting depicting the life of Christ.  His painting was
near to being complete except for two figures.  He
needed a face for the child Jesus, and Judas Iscariot.
So he went out searching.  He found a humble young
boy who was perfect for the painting.  The young boy
modeled as the perfect image for the Christ Child.
Now the painter needed to find a model for Judas.
He searched for many years unsuccessful, until one
day he saw a man who was dirty, and drunk, lost in sin 
and pride.   His face was weary and sad - a perfect model.
The painter began painting the man and as they talked,
the man revealed to the painter that he was the child
the painter had used for the face of the Christ Child.

Like Judas, this man had lost hope.  It was his pride
that led him down the lost and hopeless path.  Judas
Iscariot did not betray Jesus with the kiss.  He lost hope,
and his pride led him to the Kiss of Betrayal against our
Savior.

Humility draws us into helpful and truthful things.

Humility is so important in our hopeful journey
that despite the length of this post I feel compelled
to share these words by President David O McKay.

"Only the complete surrender of our inner life may
we rise above the selfish, sorbid pull of nature.
What the spirit is to the body, God is to the spirit....
When we eliminate God from our lives, spirituality
languishes."