Staying Humble In The Age of "Flex Culture"

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Do these emojis look familiar?

These are just a few of the most common reactions to posts on social media platforms.

Social media is a huge part of our lives in today's age. It is a useful platform for connecting with others, getting the latest news and updates, and sharing milestones and memories.

Our feeds are filled with people "flexing" their latest milestones - school or career achievements, new cars or house, dream vacations, progress in fitness, among others. We also share our own accomplishments on social media.

While it is not bad to celebrate our accomplishments and blessings, the "flex" culture can affect how we view ourselves and our place in this world. In today's digital world, one powerful virtue that can guide us is humility. In this post, we'll reflect on ways to stay humble when sharing our accomplishments on social media.

In This Journey of Humility

• Flex Culture and the Deadly Sin: Pride

• Humility and Its Silent Power

• The Perfect Example of Humility

• How to Stay Humble in the Digital World of "Flexing"

• Embracing a Humble Life

Flex Culture and the Deadly Sin: Pride

In this age, public displays of achievements have become the norm. Even the smallest and simplest wins are being "flexed". Celebrating wins is good as it allows us to enjoy the fruits of our hard work and motivates us to keep going despite the challenges.

The danger of too much "flexing" is that it can feed our pride. Oftentimes, we measure our worth in the number of likes, shares, comments, and followers. The external validation that we get can make us believe that our accomplishments are because of our own doing. It makes us feel that we deserve all the credit. It leads to comparison and thinking that we are better than others.

Pride is recognized as one of the seven deadly sins. This is because pride turns our focus away from God and makes us think that we are at the center of the universe.

When we are filled with pride, we become blinded by the belief that we are self-sufficient. This means that we rely on ourselves and disregard the need for others and a greater being, which is God. We start believing that all our blessings came from our innate abilities and not from God's Grace.

Pride cuts us off from our dependence on others and on God. Once we are consumed with pride, we refuse to listen, learn, and ask for help. We start believing we are perfect and that we can never do wrong. Pride makes it impossible for us to grow and connect genuinely with others.

Humility and Its Silent Power

"The antidote for pride is humility." These were the words I've heard from a mass I've attended. Humility does not mean thinking less of ourselves or diminishing our achievements. It is recognizing that everything we have in our lives came not just from our individual efforts, but from God's grace and our relationship with others.

I once spoke at a high school graduation with the theme of working together towards success. While I've congratulated the efforts of the students in studying hard to get to where they are, I reminded them to look back on their journey in high school. I asked them to think of the people who helped them reach their goals - their family, their teachers, their friends, and most of all, God, who answered their prayers. I reminded them that they were never completely alone and that we would always need others to achieve success and get through the next challenges they would face in life.

Humility is a powerful virtue as it makes us recognize our dependence on God's grace. Our talents, achievements, and success do not come from our own efforts but are blessings from God's loving generosity. When we acknowledge that God gave us everything we have, our hearts are filled with gratitude and become more open to receive His blessings. Humility makes us see our blessings as beautiful outcomes of hard work, other people's help and support, and God's grace.

The Perfect Example of Humility

Practicing humility can be difficult in a world filled with pride. A perfect example we can follow is the life lived by Jesus Christ. He came down from heaven and lived as a man not to be worshipped, but to serve and save us from our sins.

In Matthew 23:11-12, Jesus said, "The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted." He further put this teaching into practice when he washed the feet of his disciples. Washing someone's feet is a humble act, for one has to lower oneself and kneel before the person whose feet are being washed. Jesus shows us how to humble ourselves and serve others.

Jesus' ultimate act of humility is accepting His fate to suffer and die on the cross for our salvation. Philippians 2:5-8 perfectly sums up how Jesus lived in humility, "Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death - even death on a cross."

God calls us to be humble so we will remain teachable and dependent on Him. Humility allows us to carry our cross and put our entire trust in His plans.

How to Stay Humble in the Digital World of "Flexing"

In this "flex-heavy" culture, everyone seems to be sharing about their latest wins and is even being rewarded (think "monetized") for more engagements (likes, followers, shares). Staying humble seems to be an ancient practice. But we don't need to post a selfie of us while literally washing others' feet or die on the cross to stay humble. Here are some practical approaches:

1. Practice Gratitude Frequently

Humility begins with recognizing that all our blessings come from God. We should also take a moment to look back on our journey and acknowledge the people and circumstances behind our success. Thanking other people or saying a short prayer of gratitude for God's blessings can be good ways of sharing our wins online. When we thank God for our blessings, we are less likely to believe that these blessings came from our own efforts or something that we deserve.

To practice gratitude, I list down in my journal everything I am grateful for that day. These include accomplishments, events, things, or even people that I consider blessings from God. When I (rarely) post my wins on social media, I include thanking God and the people who have helped make the win possible. This reminds me that I could not have done it without their help.

2. Celebrate Others' Wins Genuinely

Humility rejoices in others' success. Shifting focus away from the self and towards other people nurtures a humble heart. It removes comparison and the belief that we are better than others. Instead, humility makes us see that God is so generous to bless all of us.

I used to compare and feel insecure about other people's success. But when I started reflecting on my blessings, I realized that we all have different paths in life. God blesses us with what we need in accordance with His plans for us. Reflecting on these helped me to slowly learn to celebrate others' success and even pray that God continue to bless them.

3. Serve Quietly

Some people "flex" about the good deed they have done for others. While we should always be good to others, sharing it on social media puts the attention on the individual. True humility is serving without seeking attention.

As stated in Matthew 6:3-4, "But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you." It can be tempting to seek praise and attention for our good deeds. But not all good deeds need to be broadcast. Sometimes, good deeds done in secret are the most meaningful.

I always think about the above verse from Matthew when I help others. It reminds me that I am not the good one, but rather, it is God using me as an instrument of His goodness. God is the one who should be praised and glorified, and not me.

4. Accept Feedback Graciously

Being open to feedback and corrections reflects true humility. Humble people believe that no one is perfect and everyone still has a lot to learn and improve. Willingness to accept constructive criticism allows us to grow and reach our full potential.

I used to take criticisms negatively. As I realize that I still have a lot to learn, I began to accept feedback and consider suggestions for improvement. I follow people I look up to and see their journey to success as an inspiration. I also make it a habit to seek feedback from the people I know who are willing to tell me the truth and help me become a better version of myself.

5. Post Intentionally

Before posting, ask ourselves, "Why am I sharing this? To glorify God? To inspire? To seek validation?" If the intentions behind posting our achievements are to boost our egos and make others feel small, it's time to reflect and think twice about posting. Our intentions for posting matter more than the actual content we are sharing.

When I was younger, I used to post to "humble brag" about my achievements and fish for compliments. The immediate satisfaction felt good, so I kept chasing likes and positive comments. But eventually, I became emotionally exhausted from posting to please everyone online. I realized that not every good news needs to be posted on social media. Sometimes, it feels more meaningful when we share and celebrate our good news with only the people who matter most to our hearts.

Embracing a Humble Life

In today's world, everyone seems to be obsessed with being in the spotlight and chasing external validation. But there is always a different path - choosing humility. This does not mean making ourselves small and hiding in the dark. It is letting our light shine not to be admired, but to be a guiding light for others and to glorify God, our ultimate light in the darkness.

When we embrace humility, we choose a different kind of life. A life that values service over self-recognition, compassion over competition, and gratitude over entitlement. After all, a life lived in genuine humility is the most valuable accomplishment we can "flex", not in social media, but to God who gave us the gift of life and blessed us with everything we have.

To end this post, here is a bible verse to inspire us in embracing a humble life: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6).

How do you stay humble while still celebrating the good things that come your way?

I'd love to hear your thoughts. Feel free to share them by reaching out through my contact page.

Let us start living with humility and lift each other up. 💖