“Let’s go with the writing prompt, PURSUE,” Five Minute Friday founder Kate Motaung said in her email. Kate had invited me to write a featured guest post for March, since I’m a regular FMF participant. “Could you please send me your five-minute freewrite, your bio (with any links you’d like to include), and a headshot by Friday, February 28th?” 

And, after a great deal of thought, this is what resulted:

Please enjoy the following guest post from FMF community member, Carole Duff:

But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.
~ 1 Timothy 6:11 NIV

What did I pursue as a youth in the springtime of life? Acceptance, achievement, attractiveness, and autonomy. What as a summer-season adult? Affirmation, commitment to family and work, and most of all success. Now in the autumn of my life, I pursue challenges and growth opportunities, health, and humility, my word for 2025. But is humility something we can pursue?

One night at dinner, I asked my husband that question. He said, “I don’t think so. Humility is a mindset, the opposite of pride, something to keep in mind as you pursue virtue. Anytime you suspect pride, congratulating yourself for being a good person, that’s not humility.” He paused. “It’s hard because we want to feel good about doing good.”

I nodded. “From my reading, I know humility requires emptying oneself, as Jesus did, hollowing one’s self, turning from ourselves to God alone. So, maybe we shouldn’t pursue humility in and of itself, because we’re tempted toward looking good.” Pride. Greedy for attention and accolades as I’ve behaved and still do, my humility yet feeble and superficial.

Righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance (steadfastness), and gentleness, the fruit of the Spirit that Paul encourages Timothy—and us—to pursue. But first I must flee from pride, learn humility from Jesus, and practice the emptying.

Carole Duff is a veteran teacher, flutist, and writer. She posts weekly to her blog Notes from Vanaprastha and has written for Brevity Blog, Cleaver Magazine, and Huffington Post, among others. Carole is a regular contributor to The Sage Forum. Her faith memoir Wisdom Builds Her House released in August 2024.