Humility shines in the darkness of human beliefs. Its many facets glow with the exquisite hues of Spirit. Humility illumines the dullness of earthly pathways. All who come within its radiance feel its compassionate and gracious gentleness. Without humility our lamp of spiritual understanding cannot glow. Mary Baker Eddy summarizes its importance when she says in "Miscellaneous Writings" (p. 1), "Humility is the stepping-stone to a higher recognition of Deity."
One dictionary definition of the word "humility" is "freedom from pride and arrogance." Pride arises from the belief that we have a selfhood apart from God that can do or be something of itself. Hence true humility is freedom from the self-assertion of mortality that would claim entity of its own. Jesus' recognition (John 5:19), "The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do," reveals the foundation of true humility. The Christ-consciousness is always positive, and we should not depreciate it by negative thinking. Arrogance, pride, inferiority, and disability do not characterize this consciousness, and we must deny them presence and power. It is only when we falsely identify man as mortal that we are faced with inadequacy. Humility does not disparage or devaluate, for it always companions with dignity and nobility. The surrender of a selfhood apart from God is never the abasement of true spiritual sonship. Clad in poise and tenderness, mantled in purity and winsomeness, humility has no affinity with cowardice or appeasement, but ever moves with the gracious authority and power of divine entity.
A dictionary defines "dominion" as "supreme authority." There can never be dominion in mortal beliefs. Dominion is the expression of spiritual poise or the evidence of the government of divine Principle in our human affairs. True humility always accompanies spiritual dominion. It claims the divine Mind as the only Mind of man and demonstrates this in progressive and constructive daily experience.
