He has showed you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? – Micah 6:8
I was sad this week to hear of the passing of Mac Davis. Mac Davis was a successful songwriter, performer and actor. He began his career by writing songs for famous singers such as Elvis Presley and Kenny Rogers. Later he tried his luck at being an actor. His acting credits include appearances on TV shows like The Muppets and The Dukes of Hazard. He starred in a feature film in 1979, North Dallas Forty. Although his acting career did not go long, he continued working behind the camera for over two decades, writing for several major movies and TV shows. By all accounts, Mac Davis is a true success.
In 1980, Mac Davis continued his success by not only writing, but also performing his own song, “It’s Hard to Be Humble.” It was a chart-climbing success that eventually reached number 3 on the Billboard top 100. This song poked fun at Mac Davis’ success while pointing out the ridiculous attitudes that can arise from success. The song is a ballad of sorts with a catchy chorus. The words to this chorus go like this:
Oh Lord it’s hard to be humble
When you’re perfect in every way
I can’t wait to look in the mirror
Cause I get better looking each day
To know me is to love me
I must be a hell of a man
Oh Lord It’s hard to be humble,
But I’m doing the best that I can
I remember this song from when I was a young kid. My Dad loved when this song came on the radio. It made him laugh. It would make my Mom laugh when she would point out that my dad, “was far from perfect.” Although my parents found great humor from this song, I look back on these lyrics and see the lesson taught in this funny tune.
Over and over again the scriptures encourage us to, “walk humbly with God.” This is the intentional act of putting our focus on God and not allowing ourselves to be self-centered. This is one of the great challenges of our faith. It is easy to focus on ourselves, to become prideful over our own success, or to be single-minded about our own struggles. Humility helps us to see the world around us through the compassionate and loving eyes of God.
We find humility when we seek God. We become humble as we become more aware of the greatness of God. As we encounter God, we begin to develop the same love that is in God. We focus less and less on ourselves and begin to place others above ourselves. When we, “Walk humbly with our God,” we do far more than “The best that (we) can.” We begin to live the life that God intends for us, a life that is focused on loving God and loving our neighbors, no exceptions.
– Rev. Keith King, Pastor of Worship
