When opinions clash, our flesh wants to fight for what we think is best.  We want to make sure that we don’t look like fools or be the person who lost in the argument.  So we do whatever it takes to put our two cents in, so that we aren’t shamed and laughed.  Our culture tells us that you have to be the best at everything or you won’t amount to anything.  To most, being last or shamed is the worst thing in the world and it kills our pride making us feel like we don’t amount to anything.

Oh, when we know we are right, it gets worse because then we battle it out making sure that the other person knows that we are right.  And we don’t rest until they know it.  We can even get pushy and stop them from allowing them to talk, so that push our points across.  But most of the time they aren’t listening by that point because they are so frustrated with you.  This builds us up and gives us confidence in ourselves, because we focus on a win at all cost type argument pumping up our pride and adding another trophy to our argument shelf.  This is the battle of our flesh wanting to be be exalted by man.

But when was the last time you allowed somebody one up on you, letting them take the higher position?  This isn’t normal for most people because it is hard to shut our mouths and humbly lower ourselves to somebody else because that is what we have been taught growing up.  It is a hit to our “self”, and to our pride because it becomes about putting the other person first and not taking the high road.

When I look at Jesus, I see a man who went to the cross fully right in everything that he did but fully trusted in God’s will for His life.  He could have called down a legion of angels to take out everybody who was against him and be justified by doing so.  But he decided to take the low road and allow the religious leaders to one up Him in this world.  That took Jesus denying himself and putting others before Him.  That is our example in how to live in this world; denying self pride and putting others first.

No matter how hard it is to hold your tongue and try to justify your actions, sometimes it is better to just allow that other person to one up you.  God is in control and we don’t have to always prove ourselves and lift up our pride.  We need to just trust God and know that He is the ultimate judge at the end of the day.  If God is for you, who can be against you?

I challenge you today… to swallow your pride and allow somebody to one up you… Please let me know your stories 🙂