Weakness

I was running on some back roads the other night. One of my favorite things in the world to do is gaze at the moon. On this night, the moon was full and shone brilliantly, so I held my palm outstretched towards the sky and watched the light reflect off of my hand. I imagined that I could hold the moon, or at least grasp that intangible aspect of it that gave me such joy, and this triggered a series of thoughts that followed for the duration of my run. What was just a spot of light in the sky to me, something that I could look at and smile, actually was the driving force behind the tides of the ocean. Something so great and wondrous was the same object that allowed me to travel dark roads at night.
I was humbled.
One of the most overlooked values in our modern world is humility. In the face of the self-actualization movement and our assertion-driven communication styles, humility seems to be set aside to make room for personal betterment. It is not a weakness to understand your limitations. Pride is more of a detriment to growth than a promoter of success. The most humbling act you can preform is to assess your passions, the basis behind what drives you, and your attempts to create your own happiness. You will realize that your pursuits are empty, and that you are incapable of creating that which you think will bring you happiness. Understanding this, we come to realize the smallness of our ambitions. We are merely humans, and Christ is the only one who deserves the glory that we try to gain for ourselves.
I think that too often "upstanding" Christians hold themselves at a level of superior existence over others. These people have forgotten their own brokenness, and have overlooked the forgiveness that has been offered to them. Forgiveness is not just something that you perform as a ritualistic practice, it is all you have to hope in.