One of the biggest internal battles we face relates to pride. Our society encourages us to be proud of our accomplishments and who we are as people. We see it constantly in the sporting world, where the players perform elaborate celebrations to highlight what they have done on the field. Often, these celebrations are at the expense of other players. What impact does pride have on your life? Let’s take a look.
“Pride Goeth Before a Fall”
C.S. Lewis once said:
‘Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind…… it is Pride which has been the chief cause of misery in every nation and every family since the world began.”
You will often see people characterized as “strong and proud.” The United States Marines have always described themselves as:
“The few. The Proud. The Marines.”
There is a big difference between feeling good about something you have accomplished and feeling “above” others because of your accomplishments. It is the latter that will get you in trouble every time. Our society focuses more on success, money, and material objects than service to others. The result has been an elevated feeling about oneself once they have had some success. This is a very slippery slope and can lead you down some very dangerous paths:
“According to Christian teachers, the essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride. Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that are mere flea bites in comparison: it was through Pride that the devil became the devil.”
Have you ever worked for or with someone who hated to “look bad” in front of others? History has shown that people who worry about “looking bad” invariably make poor decisions to save face. Too often, this leads to the expression, “Pride goeth before a fall.” We have seen too many public and private figures go down the rathole of pride only to be humbled. Why not just be humble in the first place?
Humility vs. Pride
Humility is often discouraged today as the word is usually associated with weakness. This cannot be further from the truth. The actual definition of humility is:
” a modest or low view of one’s own importance; humbleness: ‘he needs the humility to accept that their way may be better'”
Being humble means not putting yourself above others or thinking you are better or more important than others. God has a way of “reminding” us when we get too full of ourselves. You can either be humble or “be humbled.” The former is your choice, and the latter is God’s. Jesus tells us in Matthew 12:11-12:
“The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
We become more humble when we put aside our agendas and submit to God’s will. Providing service to others helps us understand how blessed we are. This can be a fantastic journey when we decide to be humble, but it can also be a very painful trip when God chooses we must be humbled. Charles Marshall once said:
“Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is looking.”
In the words of Ronald Reagan,
“There is no limit to the amount of good you can do if you don’t care who gets the credit.”
Be humble, always. What did you think of this article? Please share some thoughts or experiences related to the article in the comment section below.
Peace
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