It's Hard to be Perfect

“Humility is not a mere ornament of a Christian, but an essential part of the new creature. It is a contradiction in terms, to be a Christian, and not be humble.” – Richard Baxter

“It’s Hard to be Humble” is a song written and recorded by country music artist Mac Davis in the spring of 1980. It became an international hit and was later covered by Willie Nelson in 2019.

Its tongue-in-cheek chorus goes like this…

Oh Lord, it's hard to be humble
When you're perfect in every way
I can't wait to look in the mirror
'Cause I get better lookin' each day
To know me is to love me
I must be a hell of a man
Oh Lord, it's hard to be humble
But I'm doin' the best that I can!

Obviously, Mac Davis wrote the lyrics in jest, but there are far too many people these days who take them to heart. I can just imagine Muhammad Ali, the self-proclaimed “Greatest of All Time,” singing the song to himself as he shadowboxed while gazing at his reflection in the mirror. The same goes for aging vocalist Madonna, Taylor Swift, or any of the Kardashians. On the male side, I’m sure that George Clooney, Matthew McConaughey, Brad Pitt, and Ryan Reynolds have at least hummed a few bars to themselves.

The truth of the matter is that pride is a vice and humility is a virtue. The former comes easily, but the latter takes lots of time and effort to master… and even then, we never quite get there. Pride is destructive (see Proverbs 16:18) whereas true humility is something to be sought after and highly valued.

Since, despite what Mac Davis said, no one except Jesus is 100% perfect, we should try our best to emulate Him. As Christ humbled Himself (see Philippians 2:5-8), so should we consider others better than ourselves (see Philippians 2:3-4). Hard to do, but well worth the try!

“Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with hearts of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” Colossians 3:12 (BSB)

- Rev. Dale M. Glading, President