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I am not prideful!!  How dare you say something like that!?

Pride can make a person do some very interesting things.  I know there have been times in my life where I wouldn’t do something just because somebody expected me to do it.  No matter what that person would say, I wasn’t going to listen to them because I didn’t want to look weak.  If I did what they asked of me, in my head, I was considered defeated.  I wouldn’t let them win because I was “better” than that!  No matter what it was, when my pride kicked in, my head was stuck on not losing the battle.

I know there have been times where I knew I was wrong, but that wouldn’t stop me from moving forward and trying to make my argument better.  To win and prove that my pride would not be deflated. How stupid is that?

That is entirely contradictory to the way that Jesus lived. He was a master at humbling himself, setting aside His pride and doing what was right in the eyes of His Father. If anybody had the right to be prideful, I would say it is Jesus. He never sinned and was perfect. So if you have ever done one wrong thing, that means you aren’t perfect.  Therefore Jesus is better, and He is perfect!  He is our example of how we should live our life.

So how does that look? If you have been wronged, Jesus tells us to turn the other cheek.  If you have been cheated, Jesus tells us to give that person your jacket also. If you have been asked to do something you don’t want to do, Jesus tells us to go above and beyond what they are asking.  What this is modelling is the opposite of pride; this is humility.

Numerous times we miss out on the blessings of what God has for us because we allow pride to get in the way of God’s will for our lives.  Pride is just like saying to God, “my way is better than your way and I am not willing to change my perspective”.  At that point, pride has come, and the next thing will be the fall.  God with His patience will eventually step in and say, “Listen to me because I know what is best for you”.  My ways are best for you child, and you have to set your pride aside to see it.

It is only when we humble ourselves and open our eyes to what God wants, that we start to see His marvelous blessings!  Next time that pride begins to creep in, look to Jesus and say “Your will, not mine be done.”