In the trials I experienced during the fall of 2023, one of the most profound insights I received came during a conversation with a friend. As we worked through conflict, he encouraged me to ask God for and pursue meekness.
The word struck me.
I have always relied on intelligence, and leadership roles have often come naturally. But his feedback was true, helpful, and profound in the moment: Meekness should be what I seek to be known for, even in the midst of my strengths.
That conversation set a course for me to pray for and pursue meekness over the next decade of my life. And I should probably give you a warning – be careful what you pray for! It has become so evident that the path God has me on is learning meekness through humility. And humility—if I’m honest—is coming through being humbled. Sometimes, that means humiliation.
Humility in the Process of Support Raising
One of the most tangible ways God has been shaping me in this area is through the process of support raising. Over the years, I’ve shepherded many who have walked this road, often discussing the challenges with questions like these:
- Are you remaining faithful to the discipline of engaging people while trusting God through prayer?
- Are you checking your heart when disappointment arises after receiving “no” or no response?
- Are you believing that inviting others into ministry partnership through prayer is more valuable than financial commitments?
But the deepest wrestle in support raising is the humility it requires. It can be quite humiliating, especially for those who have been “successful” in other areas of life. Many often don’t start the journey simply because of how humiliating it can be. And it’s even more rare for a person who is mid-career with a family of seven to dive into something like this!
To ask others for support—financially, prayerfully, and relationally—is to acknowledge need, to relinquish self-sufficiency, and to invite dependence. It exposes pride, forcing the heart to embrace the reality that all provision comes from God, not from our own capabilities. And if you know me well, you know how deeply I battle self-reliance and self-sufficiency! And therefore, it shouldn’t shock me at all that God has led me down this path, because God loves to make us more like Jesus.
Meekness Through Being Humbled
Jesus described himself as “gentle and lowly in heart” (Matthew 11:29), and Scripture teaches that the meek will inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5). Part of why I struggle with becoming meek is because I tend to think of it as weakness. They rhyme! But meekness isn’t weakness. It is strength under control, a posture of surrender before God rather than striving.
I am not comparing this journey to the suffering of Christ, but I am seeing a glimpse of it as I walk the path. Jesus willingly and joyfully embraced humiliation, emptying himself, taking on the form of a servant, and enduring the cross (Philippians 2:5-8). In a much smaller way, the process of learning humility through support raising has given me a window into the way Christ submitted himself to the Father’s will. And I’m keenly aware of how quickly I shift to questioning, complaining, and lacking joy in the process.
Praise God that Jesus never did, and that His record of righteousness is now mine by faith!
The Generosity of the Humbled
Perhaps the most beautiful lesson in this season has been witnessing those who have been humbled themselves become the most generous. Just yesterday, I received a monthly commitment from a relatively new friend—someone who serves overseas and is still actively raising his own support. Yet, he quietly and sacrificially committed to our family, even after I asked him not to!
I am continually moved by those who give not out of their wealth, but out of their heart and sacrificially. Those who know dependence on God firsthand seem to give most freely. Their humility has produced in them an open-handedness that reflects the heart of Christ. And I so desperately want to become more like them, giving even out of my lack just like the woman who gave two pennies, because it reflects the sacrificial generosity of our great God.
Walking the Pathway to Meekness
The journey toward meekness is one that God often shapes through circumstances of humility—even humiliation. It is not an easy road, but it is the cruciform road. And as I walk it, I am learning to “embrace the process,” trusting that God is forming something far more valuable in me than leadership success, external accomplishments, or even fruitful ministry.
He is forming meekness. And that is something worth seeking.
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