I love American Idol.

Call it a guilty pleasure, but come January when it premieres to May when the finale airs, my Tuesdays and Wednesdays are booked. I'm glued to my TV. I love watching the journey of a kid with big dreams who gets to see them come true. I love watching individuals realize their talent and potential, take hold of that, and grow each week they perform.

This year, the most humble person to grace that stage won it all and shocked most of those who watch the show. In case you hadn't tuned in, from the first week of the "Top 13" the crown was assumed to go to Adam Lambert, a guy with a big voice and who wasn't afraid to take risks or offend people. Meanwhile, quiet, unassuming, and lacking confidence, Kris Allen slowly and gradually won over the country and was officially named the American Idol for the year. His response when they announced his name? First he said, "Are you serious right now?" and secondly, "Adam deserves this. I'm sorry."

That's the kind of guy you like to see splattered with confetti as an audience of 7,000 cheers for him. The kind of guy who when asked at his first audition if he was going to be the next American Idol responded with, "I don't know, I'm sure there are a lot better singers than me." Someone who in his moment of glory recognizes someone else's achievements and is so gracious that he apologizes for winning!

Amazing that a quality I admire so much in a person I don't even know is one I often don't work on having in my own life - humility. It's something that's all over Scripture, and is something God is so passionate about that He detests the proud! Wow, that is something I definitely don't want to be.

It's so easy to be prideful - it's such a part of our human nature. And it comes out in so many ways that we often don't recognize it as pride or as a sin. Most of us hate admitting we're wrong, are quick to judge others, and find ways to justify our sin. Pride often is the gateway to other sin - Proverbs tells us that "Pride comes before the fall."

But humility - what great words the Bible gives us in regards to those who show humility. Humility and fear of the Lord brings wealth and honor and life. With humility comes wisdom. God guides the humble and teaches them His way. He gives grace to the humble, He lifts them up, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

God makes it a whole lot easier to be humble when He offers those kinds of promises. And in my everyday life and the days I'm getting covered in confetti, not only do I want to have the attitude of Kris Allen, but more importantly, I want to have the attitude of my Savior, who had the most reasons to be prideful but showed us what humility truly looks like.

Emily

Labels: Emily