I got a philosophy bachelors, so pardon me if this gets too technical...but as this is one of the worst problems that plagues people of faith, I think I will seek to elucidate it as clearly as possible...
To understand humility truly, you must understand the inherent self-contradiction...humility is to bring oneself low---and in order to bring oneself low or to one's proper place, they must have had to have been exalting themselves above their proper place...aka they must needs have been prideful...can a stone or dust humble itself? No, it is as low as gravity takes it and it will be no more or less than it is placed...but if it is thrown, then it experiences in an analogy the folly of pride--being brought high--and the humilty of being brought low--by reclaiming where gravity places it...
The truly humble are those who do not intentionally humble themselves--but are as scripture says 'meek'--they accept and see what they are, and they also see who Jesus is--and this gives them hope...
So, where am I distraught in all this? It fumes me when I see Christians in their pride 'humbling' themselves to somebody else, only as a false-charity event to feed their own pride...Let me draw an example...A person with haughty eyes (thinking themselves better then others) decides out of charity (false-charity) to help someone they see as a needy soul (someone they see as far below them as the ground they walk on)...This is by no means humility this is pride-feeding...
Let me share a personal story...I voluntaried at a homeless shelter when I was in college...and different churches would have volunteers to help feed and give out sleeping bags...and there were some there who would see it as a 'good deed' and would think the people they were helping were trash, but that is not truly humilty...doing a good deed for those you believe yourself far above...humility is when you truly understand what God's love is...and you truly look eye to eye with people...and you do not exalt yourself at all above the 'other' person...but you truly see that God gives you everything you have--your talents, your money, your job, et cetera, everything...and that God also gives them everything they have--their talents, their money, their job/position, et cetera, everything...and that what you don't see as God you can just be thankful to God that He had mercy by shedding light on your darkness and pray that He will also have mercy on whatever sinner's soul you encounter...because sin is not of God...but He does and did love us when we were in the 'torrents of destruction' as well...and we are no different than even non-Christians other than that simple fact that God had mercy on our blind, callous hearts and gave us true light, and love...
Humility is understanding who you are before God...that God is everything and you are nothing...but what He makes and gives you...and I truly mean nothing...you are no different than any other person that God has made, except for how God has granted you or them mercy...
God bless,...I hope this makes sense...and may we love each other eye-to-eye in holiness as true, sincere brothers and sisters
antony of the wounded Lord