When the disciples asked Jesus who was the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, he pulled a child out of the crowd and said, “Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

That’s easier said than done, of course. In fact, humility may fall into the category of being something where the less you think about it, the better. For example, if you are trying to be humble, what happens when you succeed? Should you be proud of what you have accomplished? Do you announce to your family and friends, “I’ve done it. I’m the best there is when it comes to humility!”

It seems like a strange “catch-22,” doesn’t it? You can work at being humble but can take no pride in that, for as soon as you exhibit pride, you are no longer being humble.

Perhaps this is why people who are truly humble don’t tend to be all that concerned about it. They never set out to achieve humility … they are too busy attending to the needs of others—which is precisely what makes them humble in the first place.

Contrary to many of the sermons that I’ve heard preached on this passage (including some of my own), when Jesus uses a child as an example of humility, he isn’t suggesting that children are necessarily better or wiser than anyone else. What he is pointing out is that the people who will eventually get into heaven are people who, like children, aren’t particularly worried about it.

In other words, they are doing what they can to help others—not because they are anxious about obtaining eternal life and hoping to score a few extra points with the Almighty … but because it is what is called for at the time.