Proverbs 11:2
“When pride comes…then comes shame.”
The best way to avoid the harmful affects of pride is to notice its face when it rings the doorbell at the entrance of your heart. If you don’t know what pride looks like, more than likely you will be deceived by it, and it will become your permanent guest.
Pride is more than a mere bad attitude. It is a character trait that runs deep into who the person is. However, bad attitudes are signal lights that indicate the face of pride; attitudes like disdain, haughtiness, disrespect, and conceit. These are all the superficial features of this monster called pride. However, what are the causes of these appearances.
“if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.”
I try to walk in humility as best as I can. However, I confess. I certainly am not one who has been able to completely escape it’s many snares! It can creep into our lives so easily sometimes! I believe that the primary cause of pride is self-deception. To be self-conceited is to be self-deceived. It is a delusion. Deception is something that initially transpires in the mind, but finally takes root in the heart. This is caused when we begin to not take into consideration outside influences in our lives. We get caught outside of ourselves.
We all have seen how athletes, CEO’s, religious leaders, famous celebrities, and politicians with great individual talent can become overwhelmed with pride. They take themselves too serious, disregard the importance that others play in order to achieve overall success, and ultimately they find themselves in ruin and shame. Pride doesn’t think that it needs. Its doors become closed to the outside influences of good advice. Ironically, it becomes susceptible to the harmful destruction that the flattery of its deceitful friends eventually brings about.
“…but with the lowly is wisdom.”
A famous Rabbinic proverb says, “Lowly souls become full of wisdom, as the low place becomes full of water.” Humility comes into our lives through both an acknowledgement and confession regarding the truth. When a person recognizes the reality concerning who he or she is, they will simultaneously recognize their need. A person with needs will keep his or her mind and heart open to the counsel, wisdom, and participation of others. A person with needs is a team player. He or she is a team player not only because of their own weaknesses. A winning team wins through humility, because it is able to cover one another’s imperfections. It is a more cohesive unit. There is no doubt that success will come through ability, but it cannot continue to perpetuate itself upon mere ability. Listen to what this proverb says. “By humility and reverence to God are riches, honor, and a good life.”
Stay within yourself. Don’t let the causes and effects of pride ruin your life. Let God coach your life. “God resist the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God, and his mercy, grace and wisdom. If we as flawed humanity can do these things, good things are going to come our way and keep coming generation after generation.