Litany of Humility

There is a song by Danielle Rose I listened to this morning called the Litany of Humility. It's a beautiful, gentle reminder of what tempts us and how much we need the grace of Jesus to deliver and protect us. These passions are so real and so visceral. They make themselves attractive and interesting, so intriguing and "true." It is a constant battle, one that I must struggle against and stay ever vigilant for. These desires invade our personal space and demand, like a forgotten friend or irritated parent, to be heard and tended to. They are so compelling! Her prayer goes like this:

From the desire of being esteemed,
From the desire of being loved,
From the desire of being extolled,
From the desire of being honored,
From the desire of being praised,
From the desire of being preferred,
From the desire of being approved,
From the desire of being consulted,

Deliver me, oh deliver me Jesus
Deliver me, oh deliver me Jesus, Jesus, Jesus

From the fear of being humiliated,
From the fear of being despised,
From the fear of suffering rebukes,
From the fear of being calumniated,
From the fear of being forgotten,
From the fear of being wronged,
From the fear of being ridiculed,
From the fear of being suspected,

Deliver me, oh deliver me Jesus
Deliver me, oh deliver me Jesus, Jesus, Jesus
Deliver me Jesus
Deliver me Jesus

That others be loved more than I,
Others esteemed more than I,
That others increase and I decrease, in the world's eyes,
That others be chosen and I set aside,
Others praised and I unnoticed,
Others be preferred in everything,
That others become holier than I,
Provided that I may become as holy as I should,

O Jesus, grant me the grace
Oh grant me the grace to desire it.
O Jesus, grant me the grace
Oh grant me the grace to desire it
To desire it
Grant me the grace to desire it.
Meek and humble of heart, Jesus
Meek and humble of heart, heal us
Meek and humble of heart, Jesus

http://www.lyricshall.com/lyrics/Danielle+Rose/Litany+Of+Humility/

I mean, let's be honest. Who wants to be forgotten?? Isn't that what our tombstones are all about? Who wants to be humiliated? Humiliated?! It's a terrible, degrading, most humbling feeling. We can all recount, upon immediate demand, the times in our lives we've felt humiliation. I never want to repeat those moments (A 3 minute experience in 5th grade comes to mind. Three minutes of my life and I will never forget the pain.). What grace and strength and peace we need to truly desire holiness, to truly accept that others are esteemed and we are not, that others are chosen and we are not, that others are preferred or blessed or counted lucky and we are not.

"Believe in miracles."