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While watching a Beth Moore Bible Study on the book of James last Sunday, one of the comments she made was “we are called to honesty with modesty.” Not gonna lie, peeps…that one little comment made my mind swirl and twirl and somersault for the rest of the session 7 video.

I tried to wrap my brain around it. Since then, I have wondered many times, what does that mean?? Honesty with modesty? Hmm…so I asked a few friends over the next few days.

“Hey, I watched a bible study video the other day and there was a comment made by the teacher that was really thought provoking for me. She said we are called to honesty with modesty. What do you think that means???”

Shockingly enough…no one gave me a straight answer. So I went on a treasure hunt for definitions of the two main words, and here is what I’ve learned from this pursuit.

According to the on-line Merriam Dictionary, the definitions of honesty and modesty are:

HONESTY: fairness and straightforwardness of conduct; adherence to the facts.

MODESTY: the quality of not being too proud or confident about yourself or your abilities; freedom from conceit or vanity.

After spinning these definitions around in my mind for a while, I’ve landed on these applications of the words for ALL that I do in life; especially any new adventures in educational opportunities that may cross my path:

Be Fair: Be just, have integrity, do what is right, be open-minded, do what is good, be noble. Have high regard for all the members of your team. And remember…fair doesn’t mean equal.

Be Straightforward: Be transparent. Say it like it is. Try hard NOT to camouflage what you really mean. Call a spade a spade. Be direct. As Horton would say while hatching that egg, “I meant what I said and I said what I meant.”

Stick to the Facts: Just the facts ma’am, and gentleman. Be truthful. Stay focused on the issues and concerns at hand without assaulting anyone’s character. No sarcasm allowed. Sarcasm is not kind.

Be Humble: Be meek, never thinking more highly of yourself than others. Be unassuming…be modest.

While chatting with my best friend on the phone last night, I asked her the same question I had asked the other gals…BFF, what do you think it means when the teacher in that video said “we are called to honesty with modesty?” She immediately hit the nail right on the head, and summed it up perfectly in just a few short sentences:

“Be direct without being rude. Be firm AND fair.”

Brilliant! Well said, dear friend, well said! FINALLY…someone gets it.

I believe these simple truths hold a ton of value for all of us…educators, business folks, technology gurus, stay-at-home parents…ALL of us. The entire world would be a much better place if we would put these common-sense truths into practice this very moment. Wouldn’t you agree?

If you would take a moment to share with us in the comments below what YOU believe it means to be called to honesty with modesty we would be grateful.

We look forward to hearing from you. 🙂 ~Wendy

Stay Calm & Lead On!
Profs Dr. C. & Dr. V.