“When the dreams you’re dreamin’ come to you
When the work you put in is realized
Let yourself feel the pride but
Always stay humble and kind”
“Humble and Kind” - Tim McGraw

A phrase that he repeats 10 times during the song, the lyrics of “Humble and Kind” implore the listener to enjoy the little moments of life but to remember “always stay humble and kind” through all of those moments. The song was originally written by Nashville songwriter and artist Lori McKenna and released by McGraw in January 2016 from his album, “Damn Country Music.” McKenna released a version of the song later in the year as well.

The song had tremendous success during awards season, winning a Grammy Award for best country song, the song of the year at the CMA Awards, and the country song of the year at the American Music Awards. McGraw’s video, using a number of scenes borrowed (with permission) from Oprah Winfrey’s “Belief” documentary series, won the video of the year at the CMT Music Awards.

McKenna stated that she originally wrote the song in a reflective moment for her husband and her children. She explained that the lyrics were all the things she would want to tell them.

While the song has multiple reminders to stay humble and kind, many of the activities mentioned throughout the song are fairly miniscule on their surface - hold the door, say please and thank you, don’t hold a grudge - but that’s the whole point of humility. Humility is truly excelling in those little things in life without expectation for recognition for that excellence.

Humility is properly defined as “the state of being humble” and has its roots in a Latin word, humilis, which means “low.” To further explain, humility is more fully defined by Merriam-Webster as “freedom from pride or arrogance.”

Within a matter of days, recently, I watched one of the most humble men I’ve known laid to rest and then experienced the worldwide sorrow for the loss of someone who truly exemplified humility in an exalted position.

To be clear, for both men, whether their seat in the world was the highest altar in the modern church or a position of responsibility on the church council, they both did all they could not to enhance their own position, but to serve the church and to ensure all the church’s reach were served, not just those who had “say” or power.

While estimates exceeding 100,000 people passed by to view the body of Pope Francis as he laid in state (including a college friend on vacation with her family in Rome when the passing occurred - quite a life experience!), the funeral for Terry Larsen was much more humble - and fittingly so.

My personal experience with Terry was largely based in both being on our church’s council together, but it went much beyond that. Terry showed up, and he showed up ready to offer assistance in any way possible for so many things that didn’t directly involve him. He was one of the most reliable volunteers for fundraisers for the youth of the church, despite not having a child or grandchild among the members of the church.

Terry was the chair of the properties committee, and he spent many hours mowing the expansive lawn of the church on his own while also encouraging others to offer their time. He very likely saved the church thousands of dollars by using his mechanical knowledge to fix items in the church to ensure they continued working rather than either hiring a repair person or buying a replacement. He was also quick to volunteer to offer assistance in cleaning projects around the church, which often saved the church significant money by doing it through a volunteer rather than hiring it done professionally.

But beyond that, Terry was genuine in his care for others. Our church recently began a monthly men’s breakfast to gather and fellowship. Terry never missed one, and I consistently encountered him asking someone a follow-up about something mentioned during those fellowship meetings weeks later. When he heard of the difficulties my family was having with our son, he checked in with me multiple times, and when things took a rough turn, he put a hand on my shoulder and expressed how sorry he was to hear - and then asked if there was anything he could do.

In all the times I’d seen him do silly things and make mistakes during council meetings or while helping with a church event, I don’t recall seeing him embarrassed. However, if you wanted to see his cheeks get extra rosy, simply acknowledge his efforts to him. He’d get an “aw, shucks” tone to his voice and thank you for noticing, but never dwelt on the acknowledgment.

His final council meeting was the Wednesday evening before he passed. Each council meeting, one of the members leads a devotional for the rest of the council to open the meeting, and Terry had volunteered to lead April’s. He chose a passage and then discussed his impressions of that passage and the life it was encouraging us to live. One of the emphases that he picked up from the passage was to live humbly, and Terry remarked how rare that is in this world.

In 2006, future President Barack Obama released a book titled “The Audacity of Hope” that discussed ideas he had about differences of opinion and working through bureaucracy to truly serve people. His contention that American people, and especially those whose background did not establish them with a level of predestined voice in their own future, were feeling less and less able to achieve “the American dream” as the country moved more toward the power of a few, making hope a rare feeling.

To have one of the more humble people I’ve encountered in my time on this planet express how rare humility is really strikes a chord at the audacity with which he lived his life. While many debate the legacy of Pope Francis, he, like Terry, should be a tremendous example to each of us of the rewards of living a life that puts others before ourselves.