Lessons On Humility From A Legend

​Most people who attain legendary status are not usually associated with the virtue of humility. In fact, when we meet someone famous, we are often surprised if they seem down-to-earth and approachable. Of course, a part of this amazement is because we have often elevated them to a pedestal in our own minds. Many times that’s the very reason people who achieve great notoriety are not humble in the first place. People in their immediate circle – their staff, their closest friends, etc. – become prideful because they know someone of position, prestige, accomplishment, or fame. Having worked with quite a few CEOs and celebrities in my career, I have seen over a period of time how the “inner circle” often unknowingly creates a monster or at least the perception of one. Pedestals are tricky things because they are always top heavy and prone to crashing when you least expect it. And the worst part is, when a pedestal falls, it takes a lot of fragile hearts with it.
 
Being on a pedestal was not a problem for Billy Graham, who was one of the most influential and recognizable men of the last century. Millions of people throughout his 70 years of ministry, were touched by his passionate proclamations of the cross. And perhaps millions more were changed by the wise counsel he offered to 12 presidents of the United States since World War II.
 
Yet with a sphere of influence that eclipsed movie stars and the presidents themselves, the most common observation among most of today’s news stories and obituaries – even among the media who might have disliked his message or his perceived political partisanship – was that he exuded humility and grace. Biographer Grant Wacker who wrote America’s Pastor said that Graham once asked why someone would want to write a book about him. After conducting the interview, Wacker mused, “An hour later, driving back down the mountain and thinking about that conversation, I realized that Graham did not deny that he had done important things. He knew better. Yet he was careful to say that the ability to do important things was not really his own. The Lord had given it to him.”
 
Wacker wrote a blog post last year about three key qualities Graham possessed that were critical to his humility. It is insightful and well worth the read. But as I pondered what it takes to protect and exhibit humility, especially at the level of notoriety that Graham had achieved, what really struck me was a critical component missing from the blog post – the equal level of humility and integrity that Graham’s inner circle likewise must have had. To have a life graced with so much personal humility as Graham’s was, he must have had an inner circle who not only understood his proclivities, failures, and mistakes, but also refused to let his fame cloud their clarity of his everyday humanity. And, therefore Graham must have also been willing to be vulnerable and real with them. I have no idea if this was a spoken covenant among them, or if it happened organically, but one thing is certain, it could’ve only been generated by unconditional love for each other, a belief that honesty and compassion are required in equal measure, and commitment to a healthy community.
 
Now, you could say, perhaps it was Graham’s strong humility that guided and nurtured the same virtue in his family, friends and closest staff members. But according to Wacker, Graham’s humility was certainly not perfect, as he was known for name dropping and “relished” being close to powerful people, even though he never sought power for himself. The ironic implication here is that even though Graham had a healthy inner circle who kept him grounded, even he struggled with putting others on a pedestal from time to time.
 
Jesus called the temptation to put others on a pedestal favoritism. I love how blunt he is about it with the rich young ruler in Luke 18. In the parable, a wealthy young man approaches him and asks, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Before Jesus gives him the answer, he says, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.” For many years, I read that verse and thought, “but Jesus IS God. Why does it sound like he’s denying his identity in this reprimand?” But thanks to the use of study tools like the ESV Study Bible or Bible Gateway, the context of the conversation and Jesus’ gentle sarcasm come alive and make perfect sense. The IVP New Testament Commentary says, “Jesus wants to warn the man not to be impressed by human credentials.” In fact, Jesus was identifying the timeless temptation to put accomplished or talented people up on pedestals. So before Jesus can even answer the man’s question about eternal life, he cautions that the ruler’s clever flattery and reliance on his own intellect is a distraction to the real truth – that Jesus is truly God, not just a good teacher.
 
Regardless of the famous people he hung out with and his own struggles with admiring those in power, one thing is obvious about Billy Graham, he ultimately placed his love and admiration for Christ above all others. He tirelessly proclaimed the Gospel to anyone who would listen. He was unapologetic about the depravity of the human race and its need for redemption, for healing and for the kind of love that never fails. When someone so revered and (almost) universally loved passes on, we are always so tempted to put them on a posthumous pedestal. Let’s not do that with America’s Pastor, but instead thank God for the glorious things he accomplished through a flawed, struggling, “ordinary farm boy,” as Graham was once called. 
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