The Correlation Between Humility and Wisdom

In the title of this post, there’s one word that I absolutely love and a word that often makes me want to cringe. Can you guess which is which?

Wisdom is something I desire deeply and am constantly asking the Lord for more of. While I could ask for a thousand other things (and sometimes do), wisdom is one of the things I desire most; wisdom is necessary for all areas of our lives and I can’t imagine life without it.

Humility, on the other hand, is a concept I’m less keen about. While I know it’s valuable and necessary, I often resist it. I don’t want to be humble and would much rather be right. I want to puff myself up with pride and portray myself as the best—humility is clearly something I need more of.

As you can imagine, diving deeply into the book of Proverbs has wrecked me again and again. The wise words found therein challenged me to change my thinking.

The truth is, I can’t be both wise and prideful. If I value wisdom, it’s only natural for me to embrace humility.

The Correlation Between Humility and Wisdom

“Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse,
    and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury.
Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you;
    reprove a wise man, and he will love you.
Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser;
    teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.” Proverbs 9:7-9 (ESV)

This passage reminds me that wisdom and humility go hand in hand. A wise person understands that their wisdom isn’t a result of their own greatness, but knows it’s a byproduct of being in a relationship with the One who is infinitely wise. You can’t be full of pride if you know that the gift you’ve been given is a direct result of God and his unwavering goodness.

When we apply wisdom to our lives, it changes our actions and our interactions with others. When we are focused on honoring God, we can choose to honor others because they’re made in his image. This doesn’t mean that disagreements will never happen, but it helps us navigate those hard and unpleasant relational moments in a healthier way. Wisdom is helpful in every area of our lives, especially in relationships.

I’m learning that wisdom and humility are intricately connected and their addition has enhanced my life in many ways. More than that, I’m grateful that there’s so much grace from God and others as I’m learning how to navigate through life despite my prideful tendencies.

How do you feel about wisdom?

How has learning humility enhanced your life?

To go Deeper: Read The Practicality of Wisdom, Bring It In
Check out A Proverb A Day, now available on Amazon!