Everything that you do as a Christian should come from a place of humility. Get into a spirit of humility by getting on your knees in prayer.
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada, and I love to read books!
Oh, I’d better qualify that. I don’t actually sit in front of a hardback book with pages. I listen to audible.com – it’s, oh, I don’t know, it’s a platform where you can download all sorts of wonderful books – and every night, you’ll find me lying in bed with my earplugs, listening to my books. And I’ve got another book fan here in the studio today – my husband, Ken Tada. Welcome, Ken.
KEN: Well, thank you, Joni. I do love to read books.
JONI: Oh, my goodness, you are an incredible reader! You know, when I go into the middle room where you put all your “stuff,” the shelves are just loaded with books that you’ve read. I’ve noticed one book that you’re really excited about. Tell me.
KEN: Well, it’s a Jerry Bridges book. It’s on humility, and you know, it’s interesting because after I memorized the Sermon on the Mount, I was always fascinated with the beatitudes.
JONI: Yeah.
KEN: But didn’t really understand it. I could recite it, and then I realized through this book of going through the beatitudes that it’s all based on humility.
JONI: Okay, the first one.
KEN: Blessed are the poor in spirit.
JONI: Poor in spirit, right.
KEN: Yeah! So it starts there. And you know, once you humble yourself before God, and you mourn over your sins, and, you know, I mean, these are all built off of that first beatitude of being poor in spirit.
JONI: That’s another thing I’ve noticed about you as of late. You are practicing a habit of nightly prayer that has you on your knees.
KEN: Part of the Jerry Bridges series was talking about praying – that we need to select a time during the course of the day to actually pray, and then, of course, conversational prayers all day long, but set a time. Make a little appointment with God that this is going to be our time to share with one another.
JONI: Yeah, and I watch you – you’re really on your knees.
KEN: Well, I think it’s a position of humility, and it also shows my respect for the great God that we both believe in and worship.
JONI: Yeah. Well, you know, I’m seeing this quality of humility in your life. Well, Ken, I don’t know who said this quote, but I love it. It goes, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself. It is thinking of yourself less.”
KEN: That’s a great quote.
JONI: And you are doing that. I see you are thinking of yourself less. You are interested in other people. I watch you in conversations – you reach out to others, you ask them questions. I mean, my goodness. The Amazon truck driver guys, I think they all know your name by heart by now. You must know every single one of them on the route near our neighborhood.
KEN: Well, it doesn’t take much to just – to thank them and affirm them for what they do, and tell them what a great job they’re doing.
JONI: Okay, they’re Amazon truck guys. You’re never going to see these people again, but you care about them. That is humility, I think.
KEN: Well, it’s amazing how many of those guys are still the same guys in our neighborhood! ’Cause they come back, and you know, you have a little bit more conversation with them the second time around. You set those basics for that opportunity.
JONI: Well, I’ve seen such a change in your life. You’d better mention the name of the book again, and who’s the author?
KEN: Well, the book is by Jerry Bridges and it’s on humility, and it’s referring to the eight beatitudes. And it takes it one beatitude at a time, but the one thing that, as I have gone through the book, it builds off of that first beatitude, which is “poor in spirit.”
JONI: Blessed are the poor in spirit. Well, I bet it’s available on a lot of audible.com sort of platforms where you can download the book. I’m going to do that, you’ve convinced me I need to listen to this book, so I think that’s going to be next on my playlist. Ken, always it’s a delight to have you in the studio.
KEN: Thank you for having me, Jon.
JONI: Again, the book is called The Blessing of Humility by Jerry Bridges, and Ken, you have blessed me today as I listen to your stories and know here’s a man of great humility. Thanks for coming in.
KEN: Oh, thank you, Joni. God bless you.
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