Image by Roger Casco from Pixabay
Lori McKenna worked for Faith Hill, country music singer and actress. McKenna, wanting to express her love and hopes for her children and their future, wrote a prayer to them. Faith Hill’s husband, Tim McGraw, also a country music singer and actor, read Lori’s words and brought them to life in a song. McGraw knows good lyrics. Currently, he ranks behind only Conway Twitty and George Strait with the most #1 country hits of all-time.
In 2016, Humble and Kind, a country tune with a simple title and a simple message, was voted CMA Song of the Year. (The accompanying video on YouTube is awesome!) Here’s a sampling of McKenna’s prayer, as she urges her children (and us):
‘Hold the door, say please, say think you; don’t steal, don’t cheat and don’t lie; don’t hold a grudge or a chip and here’s why, bitterness keeps you from flying, always stay humble and kind.’
Centuries earlier, New Testament writer James wrote a similar message. He said it this way, ‘God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Submit yourselves, then, to God. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.’
The Bible calls us to grow in areas like wisdom, maturity and humility. Growing in these disciplines holds a two-fold challenge. The first is acknowledging our need to grow. The second is equally tough – genuine growth is expressed by what others see in us, not by what we say about ourselves. If this is confusing, let me try again:
- Talking about how wise I am is a sign that I lack wisdom.
- Talking about how mature I am is a sign that I lack maturity.
- Talking about how humble I am is a sign that I lack humility.
A wise person does not talk about being wise; a wise person speaks wisely. A mature person does not talk about being mature; a mature person acts maturely. A humble person does not talk about being humble; a humble person speaks and acts humbly.
This principle is true for all disciplines: kindness, generosity, love, etc. I know that my wife loves me, not solely because she tells me every day, but because she shows me every day through her words and actions.
I have a generous friend. He doesn’t talk of being generous, he simply acts with generosity. I saw him praise a waitress for excellent service then quietly slip her extra money when he learned she was a single parent. If I hadn’t noticed, his action would have gone unnoticed. Oh, he could have made a production out of it, alerting other diners to his grand gesture but that’s not what wisdom and maturity and humility act.
So, how can we know if we’re growing in spiritual disciplines? Listen again to these words: ‘Hold the door, say please, say thank you, don’t steal, don’t cheat and don’t lie.’
If we are humble and kind, generous and courteous, we don’t need to tell others how good we are, they will know. More importantly, God will know. He is the motivation that sustains and strengthens The Best Team Ever!
And remember, you are greatly loved!
–Jackie Chesnutt, Chaplain and Emotional Support Coach for Myers-Davis (3/2/2026)
