Rather, when you are invited,
go and take the lowest place
so that when the host comes to you he may say,
'My friend, move up to a higher position.'
Luke 14:10
Humility walks hand in hand with patience. Humility does not mean to think badly of your self, it is to appreciate your "self" as God made you. In this parable Jesus clearly states that the wedding guest should humbly seek a place at the table without bragging that it is an honorable spot. It reminds me of a buffett at a banquet when people have to wait for their table to be called. It is, I admit, difficult for me not to think, hey when is my table going to get to eat?
Does it take patience to learn to "love yourself" sometimes? Those times when we say something unkind about someone that we regret, or when we push forward in traffic and cut someone off, because, by golly, we have to, have to get where we are going, and fast, are examples of proudly sitting at the "head of the table" of life. It takes a does of patience for us to realize that being humble means not disavowing our gifts from God, but recognizing them and learning when it is best to use them.
