Struggling with pride

Have you ever had problems with pride?

Do you ever think of yourself as a humble person?

Arrogance is such a heavy bag we carry from time to time.

Humility is such an elusive virtue. Once you think you have it you just lost it.

You’ve probably heard of the story of the boy who received the “Most Humble” badge and had it taken away because he wore it.

Sometimes we are so absorbed with the demands of the business world and the work place such that our heart gets hardened and our ego gets inflated. It happens. This is why once in a while I pick up a good book that reminds me that I am human and am born with factory defects. In other words, I need to get real.

Max Lucado’s book entitled: “The Joy of Traveling Light” does the job wonderfully. Using Psalm 23 as his main reference material he talks to us about pride and humility.

Lucado says: “God hates arrogance. He hates arrogance because we haven’t done anything to be arrogant about. Do art critics give awards to the canvass? Is there a Pulitzer Prize for ink? Can you imagine a scalpel growing smug after a successful heart transplant? Of course not. They are only tools, so they get no credit for the accomplishments.

And the message of the 23rd Psalm or better known as the Shepherd’s Psalm is that we have nothing to be proud of either. WE have rest, salvation, blessings and a home in heaven - and we did nothing to earn any of it.

Who did? Who did the work?

The answer threads through the Psalm like a silk thread through pearls:

He makes me

He leads me

He restores my soul

You are with me

Your rod and Your staff...comfort me

You prepare a table

You anoint my head

We may be the canvass, the paper or the scalpel but we are not the ones who deserve the applause. And just to make sure that we got the point, right smack in the middle of the poem, David declares who does. The shepherd leads his sheep, not for our name’s sake, but for “His Name’s sake.”

No other name on the marquee, No other name up in lights.

Does God have an ego problem? No but we do.

How do we put our pride in check? Lucado suggests a few ideas:

1. Assess yourself honestly. Humility isn’t the same as low self-esteem.

Being humble doesn’t mean you think you have nothing to offer; it means you know exactly what you have to offer and no more.

2. Don’t take success too seriously. Scripture gives this warning: “When your. . . silver and gold increase, your heart will become proud” Counteract this pride with reminders of the brevity of fife and the frailty of wealth.

Ponder your success and count your money in a cemetery and remember that neither of the two is buried with you. “People come into this world with nothing, and when they die they leave with nothing.”

3. Celebrate the significance of others. “In humility consider others better than yourselves.” Learn to applaud your teammates.

4. Don’t demand your own parking place. Demanding respect is like chasing a butterfly Chase it, and you’ll never catch it. Sit still, and it may light on your shoulder.

The French philosopher Blaise Pascal asked, “Do you wish people to speak well of you? Then never speak well of yourself.” 

5. Never announce your success before it occurs.

Charles Spurgeon trained many young ministers. On one occasion a student stepped up to preach with great confidence but failed miserably He came down, humbled and meek. Spurgeon told him, “If you had gone up as you came down, you would have to come down as you went up.” If humility precedes an event, then confidence may follow.

6. Speak humbly. Let no arrogance come from your mouth. Don’t be cocky. People aren’t impressed with your opinions.

7. Live at the foot of the cross. Paul said, “The cross of our Lord Jesus Christ is my only reason for bragging.”

Do you feel a need for affirmation? Does your self-esteem need attention? You don’t need to drop names or show off. You just need to be reminded of one thing. The Maker of the stars would rather die for you than live without you. And that is a fact. So if you need to brag, brag about that.

Great stuff. Get a copy of his book and read it and yes, from time to time...check your chin occasionally.

(You can listen to Francis Kong through his radio program “Business Matters” aired 8:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. daily over 98.7 dzFE-FM ‘The Master’s Touch’, the classical music station.)