We’ve all played with that guy (or girl) that is super good at their instrument and knows it. That, in and of itself, isn’t a problem but it can get annoying when they flaunt that information like a new pair of shoes. Today, we’re looking at 3 big reasons why being humble is more important than having the skills to pay the bills.

1. You’ll be a joy to play with.

Nobody likes playing with an egomaniac. I remember a guy telling me, “I’m a beast at teaching drums!” and my first response was just plain irritation. Partly because I’m of the opinion that if you have to say you’re a beast at something, you’re probably not (sorry if that’s harsh). The other part was just because… who says that?! When you have a big head, it’s going to turn people off and prevent them from wanting to work with you. This means that if you exercise humility, you just might get more gigs because people actually like you! You’ll be a joy to play with and people will want to be around you.

A prideful attitude doesn’t only manifest itself in crummy attitudes, though. It can also show itself in someone who refuses to serve the music when they play with a band.

When a musician is constantly playing busy, irrespective of what’s happening around them, this can be a sign of 2 things: musical immaturity or arrogance. We all start off a little musically immature so I’m not talking to that person right now. I’m talking to the person who thinks that they’re doing the band a favor by playing with them. I’m talking to the person who treats this as an opportunity to assert their musical dominance over the other musicians by filling every second with chops because they want everyone to know how good they are. If this is you, remember that it isn’t all about you and that you should be there to serve the music and the situation you’re in.

Side note:

Mind you, certain genres are intended to be flashy and some genres — like jazz — are indeed, about the soloist. If you fall into one of these categories, take what I just said with a grain of salt but you do still need to think of the musical context and how best to serve that situation.

If you are in worship ministry, however, take what I just said very strongly. The purpose of a worship team is to create an atmosphere that makes it easy for people to have an encounter with God. It’s said that the worship team’s goal is to get the church’s attention off of them and onto God as quickly as possible. There are opportunities in a worship service where you should get a little flashy. Save it for those times. Apart from that, don’t be a distraction by creating so much sound that the congregation can’t focus on God.

2. You will continue to grow.

The first step of getting better at anything is to acknowledge that there is room to improve. If you have it in your head that you’re the baddest dude in your city, it is highly unlikely that you will ever grow beyond your current skill level until you change your thinking.

Mike Webber — former drummer for Planetshakers — tells a story of a conference he played when he was younger. He mentioned that he may have been feeling a bit prideful when a little kid walked onto the stage and asked if he could play his drums. Figuring he’d humor the kid, he said, “Sure, why not?” and handed the kid some sticks. This kid then proceeds to play the most face-melting solo of all time on Mike’s kit as he stood there with his jaw smacking the ground. He jokes to this day about not knowing whether this was a real kid or an angel sent by God to humble him!

The point of this story is that there is always someone in the world that is better than you. And there is always the potential for someone in the room to be better than you. This may feel a bit demoralizing but I choose to see this as motivation. This stirs me to constantly challenge myself to go to new levels in my playing and to never stop learning. No matter how much you know and how well you can play, there is always more for you to discover.

3. Pride will repel God.

We know that the first sin was Lucifer’s pride (Isaiah 14:13-14). Ironically enough, it is widely believed that he was in charge of musical worship in heaven. We also know that when Jesus came to earth, He had humbled himself by becoming a man, and not just a man but a servant. He also humbled himself unto the death of a sinner, of which He was not one (Philippians 2:6-8). Now, I’m going to ask you 2 questions. First: do you exercise more pride or humility? Be honest. Second: based on that attribute, which of those two people do you look more like? Jesus or the devil?

That may seem a little heavy and it should. If you serve in worship, it is of utmost importance that you are walking in humility. We read in James 4:6 that “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” What this means to me is that having a prideful and arrogant attitude is literally one of the most counterproductive things a worship leader or worship musician can do. Like I said earlier, our main job is to make it easy for the congregation to encounter God. How can we possibly do that if God is trying to resist (get away from) us because of our pride?

So what?

To be fair, you don’t always want to be too modest. A lack of self-esteem will also turn people off and make you kind of a bummer to be around. So what is an appropriate way to carry yourself? You know you’re good at what you do but you don’t want to be an egotistical jerk. On the flipside, you don’t want people to think you’re unsure of yourself.

Here is the perfect happy medium where you want to live:

SELF-CONFIDENCE

Confidence is that place where you trust in your abilities but don’t feel the need to validate yourself to others.

I think of when Jesus said the meek shall inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5). The Greek word used here (praeis) is not referring to weakness. Rather, this word is used to describe a controlled strength. Again, I see Jesus as the perfect example of this. When being arrested, He could have summoned thousands of angels to save Him but chose not to (Matthew 26:53-54). He knew who He was and what He could do but He also knew what was necessary.

In the same way, we can play through a simple set, knowing that we can throw down some serious heat, but choosing to exercise humility and serve the music. You can walk into a rehearsal announcing that you learned every single part or you can simply let your playing do the talking.

Don’t feel the need to validate yourself or to be affirmed by others. Be confident in your strengths while acknowledging your weaknesses.