Humble in Success
In 1961, Wally Herron had been working among the people of Bolivia for many years. The Minister of Agriculture invited Wally to a ceremony in his office, and in a special moment, Wally was awarded the title of Condor of the Andes, the highest honour a Bolivian might achieve (essentially a knighthood). Several people gave speeches that lauded Wally’s great work, and the official pronouncement declared that he had “carried on an unselfish, humanitarian and successful missionary work”.
This would have been a huge honour and an occasion for some people to feel quite proud of themselves. But Wally’s speech in accepting the award was humble and modest. As he stood up with his medal pinned to his chest, this is what he said:
“It is with great joy and humility that I accept this undeserved award. I have done nothing more than my duty before God and my fellow man. May the thanks be given to God, who has allowed me to come to this land and give my life to it. When I die, I want to be here among the people I love and in service to the lepers.”
Humbling Service: Doing Our Duty with Humility
His words remind me of what Jesus said in Luke 17:7–10. Jesus said: “Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”
It’s important for us not to do God’s work for applause, recognition, or awards. Jesus says that we are simply to do what we are called to do, and go on doing it.
Of course, this is not to say that we shouldn’t encourage others and thank them for doing a good job. A well-timed word of thanks or blessing can go very far in helping somebody persevere. In fact, maybe today can be a day where you take the time to bless somebody with encouraging words for doing what they do. You’d be surprised at the impact.
Humble Service: Finding Joy in the Call
But in your own life, don’t expect people to applaud you. Don’t seek out compliments. Don’t rely on others giving you a pat on the back. Welcome those things with humble joy if they do come, but otherwise keep going and doing what you’re called to do.
Wally Herron could’ve soaked up that moment of receiving the highest award in the land, but he humbly gave thanks, turned the attention to God, and determined to go back to the work he was called to.
What an example for us, to be humble and God-honouring in our moments of greatest success.
