Should I Want to Feel Invisible?
"Where is the line between praying to “go unnoticed” and really wanting not to feel invisible or forgotten about?”
This question was asked by a member of our Integrated Life community during a Live I once hosted in which we were talking about humility. Her question related specifically to the line in the Litany of Humility in which we pray “that others may be praised and I go unnoticed.” It's an important question, but a tough one to answer!
Maybe you have wondered something similar as well…
Does being humble mean I should desire to feel invisible, unheard, and unseen?
It might be helpful to define things here. Being praised usually means being seen and acknowledged for something that you DO. But the desire not to be invisible is the desire to be seen for WHO YOU ARE.
These are two totally different things! You are a unique and unrepeatable masterpiece of God, made in His image and with infinite dignity. And I would venture to say that it's good and holy and healthy to want to be seen for who you are.
But when we're talking about praise? Praise has to do with performance.
When a person is being valued for their actions or productivity, there can be an imbalance that develops in which we put too much stock in our ability to produce. At the end of the day though, our performance isn’t the basis for our value.
The basis for our value is WHO WE ARE.
When we pray in the litany of humility "That others may be praised and I go unnoticed," we're essentially asking the Lord to help us value ourselves for who we are. This not only helps us become more humble, it's actually helping us to become healthier, holier, more human and more integrated.
That line in the Litany gently challenges us to turn away from the idea that we should be praised for what we do because that will somehow make us feel better about ourselves.
It counteracts the insidious lie that so easily creeps into our hearts and minds to make a home there - that false belief that we are only valuable or worthy if we are contributing or producing something. This couldn't be further from the truth.
You and I are built to be seen and loved and valued not for what we can do, but for who we are!
>> What about you? Have you ever struggled with the Litany of Humility?
The Litany of Humility
O Jesus, meek and humble of heart, dear me.
From the desire of being esteemed, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being loved, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being extolled, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being honored, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being praised, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being preferred to others, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being consulted, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being approved, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being humiliated, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being despised, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of suffering rebukes, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being calumniated, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being forgotten, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being ridiculed, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being wronged, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being suspected, deliver me, O Jesus.
That others may be loved more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be esteemed more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That, in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I may decrease, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be chosen and I set aside, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be praised and I go unnoticed, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be preferred to me in everything, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. Amen.
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- “Brother Ass” or Masterpiece: How Do You View Your Body? (Blog Article)
- You’re No Angel, But Neither Am I (Blog Article)
- The Surprising Truth About the Spiritual Life (Hint: It’s Messy!) (Podcast Episode)
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