Humility

I have been thinking about humility lately. What is it really? How do you grow in it? I know it is not thinking poorly about oneself. It is not being self-deprecating. And it is certainly not the false-humility that I have witnessed by those who refer to themselves as a “humble preacher”. I was in a Church service a few months ago and the young man preaching referred to himself that way. My initial response was one of “what a weird thing to say!” Now I think I was being played or rather the church he is serving is being played. There was arrogance behind that statement that doesn’t sit well in my spirit. Certainly this individual is charismatic and well spoken, but those qualities are not what disqualifies him from humility. One can be the best at everything and still be humble. Jesus is the perfect example.
I think we can nail down pretty well when we witness something other than humility. We notice pride and arrogance. We feel uneasy when we sense a lack of truth behind the façade we see. But to describe humility with the same clarity is difficult. I wonder why that is? It is easier to say what is not humility than to describe it for what it actually is. And how exactly does one grow in it? How do you practice it? It is a virtue that must be cultivated. It is a reflection of our character that must be grown. Other than the trite answer to follow Jesus more…exactly how do you grow in this?
I have been told that to grow in humility is to practice the art of servant hood. And that makes sense to me. To grow in humility I must actively pursue to freely live the life of a servant. To do those things, that perhaps are menial but are very meaningful. It is about preferring others over my own interests. It involves working diligently and paying attention to the needs of my wife and family. It means to talk less and listen more. Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.