Have you ever been to a party where everyone fished questions out of a hat? I have been to a few, and twice the question I drew was: “Tell about one of the most humbling experiences you’ve ever had”. The first time, I panicked and my mind went blank. The second time, I could think of quite a few but none that I dared tell.

          After that last party, thinking back on that humbling experience, I decided it was time for some soul-searching. What was it about being humbled that put me under such a cloud? It wasn’t just the momentary embarrassment. Recalling those experiences, even years later, was nearly as bad. Why was I so afraid of others seeing that I was imperfect, vulnerable, perhaps even dumb? Was I taking myself too seriously, out of pride?

          As I pondered those questions, I remembered that the Bible has a lot to say about the good effects of being humble. It says that God dwells with the humble, and that He loves a humble spirit. Jesus was humble. I was also reminded of something I’d read once: “God does some things to humble you, other things to keep you humble, and yet other things to see if you’re still humble.” If that was true, I reasoned, and if “all things work together for good to those who love God,” as the Bible says, then even those humbling experiences must somehow be good for me.

          With that thought in mind, I decided to try to stop fighting God’s humbling process. In fact, I would take it a step further and help Him along. I would do the humble thing and tell people about my past humblings. All of them. Starting at the beginning.

          My first humbling experience happened even before I was born, believe it or not, although I didn’t hear about it until much later, of course. I was named by the family dog. That’s right, a dog. It happened like this: My parents couldn’t agree on what to name me. My mom wanted to name me after her father, and my father wanted to name me after himself. The obvious compromise was to give me both names, but which name should come first? How did they resolve that dilemma? Simple. They let the dog decide. In one corner of the room they put a dish of dog treats and a sign with my father’s name next to it, and in the opposite corner they put a dish of dog treats with my grandfather’s name next to it. The dog fancied the treats on my mother’s side, and I’ve been Curtis Peter ever since.

            There. I’ve told it like it was. That wasn’t as hard as I thought it was going to be.

          My next humbling experience happened when I was about a week old. …

          Curtis Peter Van Gorder is a full-time member of the Family International in the Middle East.