Surprised by Humility: An Impressive Gesture

Surprised by Humility: An Impressive Gesture
Thursday, June 6, 2019 by Marilyn Nutter

I recently spent a few days at a writers’ conference in the beautiful North Carolina mountains. If you’ve attended an intensive writers’ conference, you know the stimulating but exhausting sixteen-hour days filled with classes, conversations, and appointments. The devotions, keynotes, and worship nourish our souls and we feast as we remember long after we return home.

Another plus is reuniting with old friends as if we are at a family reunion; we are. We meet new writers and our Facebook friend requests rise exponentially. Our diet changes. At least mine did, consuming larger than usual meals, high carb food, and desserts. For me, the chocolate cake was irresistible. The banana pudding was surprisingly delicious-not artificially flavored-but that wasn’t my only surprise.

Another feature of conferences is eating meals with faculty who are interested in what conferees are writing, and it’s an opportunity to ask questions. Sometimes, writers want to share their latest project in hopes of catching that editor’s attention. It may be difficult to get your turn to talk with seven others around the table.

But at one lunch, I was surprised. No, not by another dessert.

Before the faculty member arrived, one conferee asked, “Is there anyone here who didn’t get an appointment and wants to share their work? Let’s make that happen.”

I couldn’t believe it. Rather than push his agenda, he was looking out for everyone else. I was surprised and impressed.

Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Philippians 2:4 ESV

I don’t know if that conferee met an editor who wanted to see his proposal. But when his book is published, I’ll try to be among the first to buy a copy (and I’ll be humble and not cut the line). I’m sure it will be as impressive as his character.

What about you? How have you been surprised by humility? I imagine you can remember who, what, when, and where, because humility is as impressive as it is refreshing.

Perhaps we should take the lead regularly—give up the parking space that another is eyeing, let someone go ahead of you in line, and strive to be a listener instead of monopolizing a conversation. Do you think people might be surprised?

Marilyn Nutter is a contributor to magazines, on-line sites, and compilations. She is a Bible teacher and speaker for women’s and grief support groups and serves on the women’s ministry team at her church. Marilyn lives in Greer, SC and is a member of Word Weavers, Upstate SC. In her life’s seasons, she has met God’s faithfulness and clings to Lam. 3:22-23. Look for her blog at www.marilynnutter.com to find extraordinary treasures in ordinary and challenging days.

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Comments

Marilyn Nutter From Greer SC At 6/10/2019 2:23:42 PM

I’m so glad you too, have also been recipients of encouragement and help at writers’ conferences. As I said in the post, it’s as if we are at a family reunion.

Barbara Latta From Georgia At 6/10/2019 2:03:40 PM

It's always nice to be surprised by humility. We can't have too much of that in our lives and those surprises can teach us great lessons.

Joshua J Masters From SC At 6/6/2019 10:48:10 PM

Marilyn, I'm so glad you pointed this out. I saw so many examples of selfless acts at last month's conference. I was moved by how encouraging everyone was toward one another. God moves through the Body by using the Body. Amen.

Melissa Henderson From Mount Pleasant SC At 6/6/2019 5:10:06 PM

I love how God sends us surprises. I will always remember the friendliness of the people at the Carolina Christian Writers Conference. I didn't know a lot of people and before the conference was over, I had a lot of new friends. What a great blessing!

J.D. Wininger From Cooper, TX At 6/6/2019 2:43:11 PM

I too was pleasantly surprised by the humility and kindness of another offer; several of them in fact. It was a CCWC this spring. As I recall, their names were Marilyn, Joanne, and Lori. There seemed more interested in helping others than themselves.

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