Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
“To be poor in spirit means to have emptied yourself of all desire to exercise personal self-will, and, what is just as important, to have renounced all preconceived opinions in the whole-hearted search for God. It means to be willing to set aside your present habits of thought, your present views and prejudices, your present way of life if necessary; to jettison, in fact, anything and everything that can stand in the way of your finding God.”
—Emmet Fox
By far, the greatest obstacle that stands between our self and a firsthand experience with God is our own preconceived opinions about the nature of God and our accessibility to God as a practical resource in daily life. Most of us begin with the belief that we are separate from God, that prayer is a matter of reaching out and away from ourselves to connect with God. This is simply not true.
Spiritual humility has been interpreted as assuming a worm of the dust attitude. God, I know I’m not worthy of your help but I am at a loss as to what to do and I need your help. This attitude does not reflect what it means to be poor in spirit; it reflects what it means to have a poor self-image.
In your times of quiet mediation, offer yourself as an empty vessel waiting to be filled by the life, love, wisdom and intelligence that God is. Be willing to release all perceptions of your problem and the solutions you believe will work best. In other words, become as a child who is willing to turn your problem over to God.
There is nothing poor about your spiritual nature. You may, however, have way too many preconceptions about your spiritual nature and about your understanding of God. Follow the example of Jesus who acknowledged, “I of myself am nothing. It is the Father within who does the works.” Spiritual humility will lift you to new heights.