Humility Is

I want to start a series on my blog called "Humility Is" --- aka "Mortifying Moments that Make Me Want to Dig a Hole and Live in It Forever."

Being the really domestic wife that I am, I stopped by Potbelly's (classy) the other night to pick up some dinner (fancy) for the husband and I. It had been a long day at work, and we had to leave for small group about 5 minutes after I got home. So I assured my myself that sandwiches for dinner was OK.

I ordered the husband's sandwich, no problem. Then I ordered my sandwich, but let's face it: my order was a little complicated. For any of you who remember Meg Ryan's high-maintenance character in When Harry Met Sally, I am just like that...but I think only at Potbelly's (not really anywhere else so much, which I suppose is kinda weird).

Can I have half the slice of bread, not 1/3? Can I have a different kind of cheese? More pickles? Just a little "sprinkle" of lettuce? And please add the hot peppers but only a teeny-tiny-tiny bit cut in half because I can't handle too much spicy stuff? And can you put those peppers on only half of the sandwich? On and on. Here's the ridiculous part: I am only this bad when I'm ordering by myself (or with someone that I know already "judges" me b/c they've known me long enough, and we can all agree on the fact that I'm a piece of work). Except for the whole cut-up peppers on one-half of the sandwich part. It's important enough that I'd request that in front of anyone. Fear of man at its finest, people.

So after assuring the oh-so -very-patient sandwich maker that I did not, in fact, want all of these things "on the side" (unlike Sally!), I get up to the cashier only to realize that...I don't have any money! I frantically look through my purse again, thinking that if only I can find a 10 dollar bill, maybe I can bargain my way through this? HA! Apparently, it had been such a long day that I left my wallet at work. My jaw dropped. "Oh my gosh!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh my gosh, I don't have money!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't know what happened!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh my gosh!! Really, this is the first time this has happened!" She was probably thinking, "Yeah right." The register lady just looked at me like I was crazy, wondering why I was still standing there saying, "Oh my gosh" over and over again. I had no choice but to hand over my very complicated sandwiches and walk away disappointed...and hungry....wanting to dig a deep hole and live in it forever.

How's that for a daily dose of humility! In his book Humility: True Greatness, C.J. Mahaney encourages the reader to "Laugh often, and laugh often at yourself." The Lord Jesus must really, really think that I need to learn some lessons in humility, because there are certainly many, many occassions in my daily life to embrace embarrassment. Why stay upset that I don't have what it takes to put a dinner together in 5 minutes, that I irresponsibly forgot my wallet at work, and have no means of paying for my dinky sandwiches while looking like a crazy OCD person at Potbelly's? Why stay upset when I can simply laugh at the situation as a means of God's grace to me? It is His kindness after all that I be reminded that I am indeed a very needy person in much need of God's help!