Pride is given a good connotation in our society. We are proud of our children, proud of accomplishments, proud of our possessions, proud of ourselves, proud of our country, I could go on. I don’t know that this type of pride I’ll define as being “pleased with the state of being in a given circumstance” is necessarily an evil thing, but it’s close cousin, pridefulness is something we should be on guard against at all times. Pridefulness is pride left to run amok to distort our thoughts and actions into something that derails our mind towards a focused frenzy on our own superiority. Pridefulness distilled down to its purest truth is simply a superiority complex. We compare, we judge, we puff up. We compare ourselves using the most ridiculous categories as well, don’t we? We compare body types and clothing sizes, appearances and spouses, strength and accomplishments, possessions and power. The commercials on television capitalize on the ease with which we are lured into feeding our prideful nature- “Buy this product and be better.” Better than who? Your neighbor, your friend, your brother, your sister, your enemy? Does any of it really matter? Once we’ve acquired that latest product giving us a short term superiority fix, does anyone really notice? Does that burst of pridefulness last past the first scratch in the new car, the first mortgage payment on the new house, the scuff on the new pair of overpriced shoes? There is always going to be someone that has a nicer house, a more expensive pair of shoes, a newer car, better credentials. The game of comparison is a losing battle with ourselves because there is always going to be someone that can one up us in pretty much every category. So where does all this get us? Pridefulness distracts us from reality and then betrays us. It is the ultimate derailment strategy of the devil.
Pride was the first sin and remains today the root of all sin. You can never have pride without self-focus. Even Satan’s fall can be traced to pride in Isaiah 14:12-15:
“How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! You said in your heart, I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north;”
Satan wanted to be like God and is completely absorbed with self focus, “I will ascend…I will set, I will sit…” We gasp at Satan’s audacity, but aren’t we similarly delusional at times? Every sin ever committed revolves around our own self-gratification and pride. Theft and greed equates to thinking we need or deserve something more than the person we take it from, lust equates to putting our own desires ahead of the consequences sure to unfold on those around us, killing usually equates to the desire have power and control over others as evidenced by the preponderance of wars that litter the historical writings of time.
Pride- putting ourselves or thinking ourselves above others-and sometimes even God- is the human Achilles heel. Every time we act in a way that pleases our flesh instead of God we’re technically saying we are putting our needs (and ourselves) ahead of Him in importance.
“There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers” Proverbs 6:16-19.
Notice that all the above things God detests are related to pride?
I somewhere came across the notion that every time we criticize someone we are in essence expressing our perceived superiority. That’s a bit unnerving isn’t it? Yet sadly accurate. Our criticism is often a veiled attempt to say, “I can do that better.” “I’m a better human being because I don’t do THAT.” “I’m a better human because I can do that better than you.” “I’m a better human being because I know more than you do.” Sounds a little childish doesn’t it, but sadly we can’t help our human selves. There’s a reason we’re called the “children of God”. We forget that the intelligence we used to achieve great things was not our accomplishment, but God’s gift. Yes, we have the ability to use the gifts God gives us to do wonderful things- that is a choice we can make. Yet even the act of choice is a God given ability. We can run because God blessed us with legs, see because God blessed us with eyes, communicate because God has given us a tongue and intellect. We’re living in houses in a free country because of the resources God’s gifts have provided for us. We’re eating the fruit of our gardens that God’s weather and soil has provided for us. We’re surrounded by friends and family that God has created. We really can’t separate ourselves from the blessings of God- they’re everywhere, but yet we give Him so little thought and credit. What can we really do apart from God?
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5
God must shake his head at us on a daily basis at our all too frequent attempts to claim the credit for his work in our lives. As the verse above points out, apart from God we really can do nothing…are nothing. The good news is what we can do WITH God in our lives, especially when we give Him the credit and the glory for everything that we have that is good in our life.
“With God I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13
” Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” James 1:17
So yes, pridefulness is an insidious and powerful adversary to be reckoned with, but I believe it can be defeated. Pridefulness is simply the antonym of gratefulness. For if we are looking inward, and taking credit for the blessings and gifts in our life, we are denying where those abilities and gifts originated. Simply turn that inward focus outward where it belongs- on the God that is responsible for everything you have in life to be proud of. Pridefulness is a potent enemy that is difficult to avoid in the human condition. However, gratefulness and worship is more than powerful enough to conquer it. Don’t be proud- be grateful, and give thanks to the God that is responsible for everything and everyone that ever was, is, and will be.
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A Peace of Humble Pie 