For I say, through  the grace given to me to everyone who is among you, not to think  of himself more highly than he ought to  think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.

Romans 12:3

A husband and wife who had been married for thirty-five years  were asked the secret of their marital longevity. With a smile they answered, “We made  Romans 12:3 our marital verse.”

In our society, image is everything. Many don’t care if there is little substance behind the image as long  as the image is polished-and they are totally involved in polishing their own image.  The result is  troubled  relationships. It’s difficult to inflate ourselves  without deflating the people around us.

I love the story  I heard about Muhammad Ali, who was on a plane. The flight  attendant asked him to fasten his seat belt. His reply was,”Superman doesn’t need a seatbelt.” The attendant didn’t miss a beat. She said, “Superman doesn’t need a plane.”

Paul warns us “to think soberly,” which means to have sound thinking about ourselves-to be realistic about our strengths and honest about our weaknesses. Taking a daily and weekly inventory helps us to do that. When we accept our humanity, humility is the natural result…and we’re a lot easier to live with.

Prayer:  Lord, help me to be realistic in my estimates of myself today. Help me remember that people wrapped up in themselves make very small packages.