Pride, such a wonderful feeling. Makes you smile when people praise you for all you do, your talents, your hard work. Boosts your confidence and self-esteem each time you think about how important you are, how great you are, how strong and self-reliant you are. All things that can be attributed in a positive manner but often lead down a road of self-destructive pride.

Proverbs 11:2 When Pride comes then comes shame but with the humble is wisdom.
Pride isn’t just about how great and wonderful you think you are. It’s not just that you see yourself as better than others or that you believe you are talented and hardworking. More often than not, it is the smaller acts of pride that people forget are the slippery slopes and before you know it you have fallen.

Proverbs 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.
The smaller acts of pride can include believing you know better than someone else even though you have not lived their life or experienced their struggles. Pride can also look like not accepting or asking for help thus destroying the community of Christ that he intended for and of each of us. Pride can be unforgiveness and lack of grace because you believe you have sacrificed more than someone else. Pride brings offense and builds walls. It tears families apart and keeps spouses in power struggles. It drives wedges between friends.

It’s one thing to be proud of your accomplishments, of your growth, your talents, your home and your family. But who is being praised for all of those things? Are you praising God for the gifts he has given you, for the talents? Are you praising God that he made a way for you, thanking him for sending that person that offered help in your time of need? Are you praising God that your spouse, although imperfect, keeps showing up every day? Are you praising God for your many blessings? When you sit and say you know best or you don’t need help, you are letting your pride take you away from God’s best and his help. When we choose unforgiveness over looking at things from a perspective that squashes our pride, you are allowing offense to build walls between you and your loved ones.

Pride has a lot to do on who is important, who receives the praise. We should strive to be humble and remember that anything good in us, anything special about us, anything that shows strength, knowledge, wisdom all come from God. To God be the Glory and the Honor forever.
James 4:6 But He gives more grace. Therefore, He says: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
To come to God with a heart full of pride that you need no one and that you know what is best would mean you are unable to relinquish yourself and follow God. Yet to come to the foot of the cross broken, relinquishing yourself and admitting that you do not know what is best, that you do need help, that you are nothing without God, to humble one’s self and submit to God, one can find salvation.

I pray we all take moments to look at ourselves and truly ask what it is that we are prideful about. What are we refusing to ask for help on? What are we not giving God the praise on? May we all pray for humility and to remember that we are all broken sinners in need of a savior. May we all offer the grace that God has offered us so freely. May we remember that we cannot do anything on our own. May we always give God the honor and glory in all things. As always, with love and prayer to each of you!