Here in the High Desert, the sun shines about 355 days per year. We love living in the beautiful clean air and feeling the warmth of the sun nearly every day. Fortunately, it is dry, so the extreme temperatures of the summer don't feel so bad.
This week, we are experiencing some very amazing rain storms. I have lived here twenty years, and I can only remember one other storm during that time period, that even comes close to matching the amount of water we are receiving.
Too Much Of A Good Thing
We need this rain. Our natural water supplies are low. We are all very excited that it keeps coming down, but we are beginning to experience some pretty significant consequences. It reminds us that too much of a good thing, can actually become, a bad thing.
This thought has been with me for a while, but I saw a new side of it today as I drove around town to run a few errands. Our town is not built for this much rain. We have several storm washes that guide the water to our reservoirs and rivers, but they are not capable of handling a steady down pour for two days. After a couple of hours, they overflow and begin to find a new path which usually crosses homes and roads indiscriminately. The rain we so desperately need continues to fall, but it is now causing quite a bit of damage.
I have seen a similar thing happen with people. We all need to receive recognition, but I have known those who received so much that it changed them. Their interpersonal pathways become flooded and they begin to behave differently than they normally behave. They become puffed up and full of pride. They lose their ability to help others, because they are so caught up in their own pursuits. When the praise they crave stops, and the flow of compliments resides, we can see the damage to their image and reputation.
Seeking Higher Ground
The quality we must cultivate, to avoid this downfall, is humility. Humility is the great protector. It is the antidote against pride. The proud can only hear the clamor of the crowd, and that prevents them from hearing their own internal correcting voice and the voice of others who would offer the feedback so necessary for improvement. Humility is the catalyst for all learning. It prevents us from overdoing our strengths.
What are you doing to develop the quality of humility?
Can you see the difference from being humbled and having humility?
Is it possible to demonstrate confidence and humility at the same time?
Humility, is a rare quality to see these days, almost as rare as a rainbow in the High Desert. When we see it in others, we are attracted to them. We want to be around them and we recognize them as true leaders. Because they are open to receiving counsel from above, beside and below, they know who to abandon their pride and lead with authenticity. Their regular review of these diverse perspectives regularly, creates an unusual calmness around them and they become inspiring forces of growth in others. O be humble! It will allow you to receive the nourishing rain of praise without having it run off of your countenance in waste.
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This storm is making me excited for spring. I can't wait to see the wildflowers that will bloom as a result of it.
