Freedom From Pride, Pt. 2

"Humility is the fear of the Lord;

its wages are riches, honor & life."

Proverbs 22:4

In walking with God on the bridge from pride to humility, I have learned a number of things - both about pride itself and then about the ways to deal with it.

What I've learned about pride:

• Pride is U.G.L.Y. (when is the last time you were attracted to an uptight, haughty individual?).

• Pride steals your contentment and joy (rather than being content with something less-than-perfect, the drive for perfection leaves a feeling of emptiness and discontent when it's not achieved).

• Pride creates a separation between people (as if it is an invisible line dividing the ones "up high" from those "down low").

• Pride hinders progress (pride and the fear of failure can prevent us from venturing into things that we may not succeed in).

• Pride fosters self-pity, jealousy, comparison, and criticism (my insecurities come from a perceived need to be "perfect" and the subsequent failure to achieve that perfection. This turns into jealousy of those who have qualities that I desire and then I turn that jealousy into criticism of them to make me feel better about myself).

• Pride is a poison (it infiltrates many different parts of your life, and it can destroy).

• Pride is really hard to kill

I could expound on each of those points and give more personal examples, but I will simply say "to hell with pride!" and move on to discuss the ways God has helped me to deal with this poison.

[Please understand that this is simply a testimony, and I do not pretend to know the "cure for pride," nor do I desire to give a recipe for freedom from it. I hope that these words are encouraging to you, but I am still in the process of dealing with my own pride, and I have no authority to tell others how to handle theirs. That is a journey for each of us to take with our Heavenly Father.]

After reflecting on the process God has brought me through (and is still helping me navigate), I can identify some specific steps.

1. I learned the importance of admitting and be willing to talk about my pride with someone. I realized that it is too easy for me to feign humility and hide my pride under all sorts of modest remarks, when in fact the first step to conquering any problem is admitting it exists and asking for support. So I learned to examine my heart attitude and be brutally honest with someone about my struggles. David has been a wonderful friend and partner for me in this, and I have shared and prayed a lot with him throughout this process.

2. When I notice an area of pride in my life, I can tend to feel ashamed and become frustrated with myself, especially if it's something that I already battled in the past and thought I had put behind me. It turns out that the same darn issue may come up over and over again, and I need to learn how to have grace with myself and simply let it go. This involves recognizing and reflecting on the situation, and then releasing it to God, who is the only one truly able to give freedom and grace.

3. To be on the offensive against pride, I see the importance of taking time to rest with God and be in His presence, because his "yoke is easy, and his burden is light" (Matthew 11:30). This is the place where we find rest for our souls, and where God can do the deep work of humiliation in our hearts. This is also where we realize how much we are loved by the Father, and we find our identity in Him. When we have a strong foundation with God, pride cannot rock us in the same way.

4. Live in gratitude! A heart full of thankfulness is difficult to disturb, and leaves no room for pride. When our eyes are focused on the beautiful things around and within us, on the good qualities of others, and on the faithfulness of our Heavenly Father, whatever pride issues we are dealing with seem small by comparison. This world is full of too many things to spend time worrying about our ego, but if we only focus on ourselves, then ourselves is all that we will see.

5. Finally, I'm learning to replace pride with other things.

Gratitude

Humility

Peace

Contentment

Hard work

No self-entitlement

Grace with myself

Grace from God

Patience

Joy

Love

When I choose to focus on these things, pride is nowhere to be found. God and David are faithful to remind me when I'm losing sight of the fruits of the Spirit and allowing pride to enter once again. The battle is not over, but I am on the winning team !

In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because,

“God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble."

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

1 Peter 5:5-7

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

Philippians 2:3-4