Pride

I've been thinking a lot about it lately. Seems to me that pride is at the root of most broken relationships. If left unchecked, arrogant, self-sufficient pride can lead to dire, even eternal consequences. If you really think about it, it's a heart issue. Why are we so full of pride? I believe it comes down to a fundamental attempt to fill a hole left by a lack of self-worth.
Self-worth is different from pride.
Self-worth is knowing who we are in Christ. It is the comfortable knowledge that we have each been given special talents and gifts by God. These talents are to be used to please God and help others. Self-worth recognizes the fact that these unique talents are valuable, without the need for making them seem better than anyone else's talent. And why do we so often feel the need to make ourselves feel better than others, anyway? At the core, I believe it is our basic desire to be loved. It is almost as if the proud spirit is crying out desperately for someone to notice us. Proud spirits don't know or can't seem to accept the fact that they are indeed special, but not better than anyone else. Think about it? The very nature of pride says, "I don't need you." This not only drives others away but it drives God away, leaving the proud alone and lonely. Often times, becoming more prideful. They are not only physically alone but also spiritually lonely.

There are many spiritual consequences to pride. It retards our spiritual growth, it eats away at our souls, and it keeps us from having the kind of intimate relationship that God wants with us. I believe that hardened pride can also make you physically ill. Therefore, pride owners are also missing out on countless blessings. I suspect, just like when our children have been disobedient, we cannot reward them for that kind of behavior. When we put up our pride walls, we too, have become like disobedient children to our Heavenly Father. In essence, we are cutting ourselves off from His rewards.

As humans, we all have some degree of pride. Some are just more hidden than others. The hidden ones may even be more toxic. We've all heard the saying that 'pride comes before the fall.' Pride can be a killer. It can be the very thing that separates us from not only healthy relationships but also from God, for eternity. Pride is a difficult thing to manage. I use the word 'manage' because for me, I seem to have to direct, assess, and check it all the time. It comes down to the fact that all of us want to be valued and loved. But when we become so desperate for these things, we develop an unhealthy pride to mask our desperation. Have you ever seen someone so desperate for attention? It's actually painful to watch isn't it? What I'm learning is that no matter what anyone thinks of us, God loves us and made us without mistake, for a purpose. The more we believe who we are in God's eyes, the easier it becomes to let go of the desperate attempt to let everyone else know how great we are. Freedom.

I was watching a NOOMA video the other day and I heard something that was interesting to me. Allow me to share...

Faith in God is important but what about God's faith in us? He wouldn't have chose us if He didn't think we were worthy. It's great that we have faith in Jesus but do we really know how much faith Jesus has in us? He must have faith in us! Jesus believes that we can actually be the kind of people that God created us to be. The kind of people that take action because we are aware of these endless opportunities around us for good, for beauty, for truth. Jesus has faith that we can follow Him (just like the disciples did) and be like him. He believes it! Jesus wants us to be like Him- a person of love, forgiveness and truth. A person of peace, grace, joy and hope. And if we really believed all this, how much more would be be able to accomplish for God?

May you have faith in God but may you believe that God has faith in you. And may you have faith in Jesus but may you believe that Jesus has faith in you.
-Rob Bell (NOOMA-"Dust")