If I try to be humble, will I destroy my personality?
“To be humble does not mean to go around dirty and unkempt. It does not mean being indifferent to everything around us and constantly failing to exercise our rights. Much less does it mean to go around proclaiming silly things about ourselves. There can be no humility if we are theatrical or if we are hypocrites because humility is truth."
We must be on our guard against any form of pride that tries to disguise itself as humility. In the words of St Jerome: “It is one thing to be virtuous, and quite another to appear to be virtuous. There is no worse pride than that which hides under the appearance of humility." St. Josemaría gives us a reliable test to recognize it: “Are you truly humble? Can you mortify your self-love, for the sake of charity? Can you accept those humiliations which God asks of you, in unimportant things which don't obscure the truth? What is it that makes charity sluggish? Quite simply, pride. So, ask our Lord to grant you humility, because if pride is not taken in hand promptly, with time it only gets worse."
“Despite the limitless goodness of God our Lord, he will not be able to sanctify us or save us without our consent and our will. And without him, neither will we accomplish anything worthwhile. And he is the one who confers on a withered twig the power to take root. Humility is knowing that neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth."
Humility, then, is the fruit of knowing God and knowing ourselves. Self-knowledge enables us to know the good things God has done in us but which do not belong to us. We belong to the Lord; all the good we have is his.
Only through humility can we produce lasting fruits. I read in an old spiritual book, St. Josemaría told us, “that trees that have very high, upstanding branches do not have much fruit. On the other hand, trees with low, fallen branches, are full of rich, delicious fruit. And the closer they are to the ground, the more abundant the fruit is. “My children, ask for humility which is such a precious virtue. Why are we so foolish? We are always so convinced that our way is the best and always sure that we are right. The soul soaks up vanity and pride like a lump of sugar soaking up water. If you want to be happy, be humble. Reject the deceitful insinuations of the devil when he suggests that you are so wonderful. You and I have understood that, unfortunately, we amount to very little. But when we take our Lord into account, it's another story. We owe him everything."
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