“Where there is strife, where there is fighting, where there is loud voices raised, red faces and fists, there is pride.” Proverbs 13:10
Vacation is a nice and needed time off. Time off from deadlines, time off from meetings, and time off from time. Vacation gives your mind a rest. You are able to rethink things you once thought you knew, but they grew fuzzy and faded over time.
This vacation I was able to think old thoughts. I went back to the well of what I thought I knew, to reconsider what I do know.
One book I read that has really helped me refresh my thinking is called “Renovation of the Heart” by Dallas Willard. I wish I read this book the first year I knew Jesus – – it puts things simply, easy to reach, a real mind cleansing book. If you still have not found a good book to read this summer, I recommend it.
But if you want the highlights, that is what I will be doing in this “Simple Summer” series. Offering a chance for all of us to clear our minds and think rightly again.
The first subject I offer for us to consider is the Danger of Pride: it is the number one poison to the soul. Pride is elusive, sneaky, crafty and lethal. Pride is what got Satan thrown out of heaven. Just when you think you have it under control, it begins to control you. For me personally, I know that pride is always lurking in the shadows, ready to pounce, poised to destroy.
The basic idea of Pride is thinking too highly of yourself. But it is nastier and more insidious than that. I found Dallas Willard’s description of Pride very revealing and something we all need to consider:
“Pride is defined by desire, not by love. It is, above all, the presumption that my desires should be fulfilled and that it is an injustice, a crying shame, and an injury if they are not.”
Let’s break this down:
(1) Pride is defined by desire: Pride thinks it should always have what it wants. Why is this a bad thing? Because, not everything I want is good for me. Not everything I want is what God wants for me. And not everything I want is good for others. Pride doesn’t care. Is not our whole society built on the desire to have things “my way”?
Do you remember this advertisement: “Hold the pickles, hold the lettuce, special orders won’t upset us, all we ask is that you’ll let us serve it your way.” Or this one, “You deserve to have the very best.” Advertising appeals to pride. Politics appeals to Pride, “You should be able to have what you want, go to the school free that you want, not have to pay for things that you want, marry who you want, sleep with who you want, have people treat you the way that you want, live the lifestyle that you want, have the health care that you want, and get paid what you want … all simply because you want it.”
What do you want? Why do you think you have the right to have what you want?
(2) Pride is not defined by love: Love is wanting and willing the best for the other. Pride is simply wanting and willing what I want – – and if you are in my way, you must be removed. Pride is a sick selfishness that is only focused on me. It is the core condition of the murderer, the thief, the greedy politician and the lonely hermit. Pride separates people from people and destroys community.
Is Pride not the fuel of the Pro-Choice movement? Pride makes a mother believe that an innocent human being is getting in the way of her life. Abortion is the opposite of love. Pride turns mothers into monsters.
One quick side note on abortion: When women think having an abortion is giving them more freedom and independence, the truth is it is actually taking away the freedom of another human being forever. It is making men less responsible and it even encourages them to be more sexually deviant because there are no consequences for their actions. And it ruins the person’s soul who had the abortion. Pride is toxic, it quenches love.
(3) Pride is easily injured, angry and offended when it doesn’t get what it wants. Taking offense is the tell-tale sign you are riddled with Pride – – and I believe our society is awash in feeling insulted and injured. Pride has us now believing that hard work, patience and perseverance is no longer needed to get what I want. Maybe it is because we have raised our kids on 24/7 entertainment: “Mommy, can I watch Frozen for the 10th time today?” “Dad, I need to play X-Box for another 16 hours to get to the next level – – and…bring me my dinner!” Whatever the case, Pride is poisoning even me. I get mad when my TV time is interrupted. That is Pride at work.
“But don’t we deserve to have what we want, when we want it, how we want it; and if I don’t get it, I have the right to scream ‘bloody murder’!
That is all politics is this day – – the outworking of Pride. Micro-aggression is a fancy term for massive Pride in the heart of the offended person. Separating humans by categories of race, gender, riches and sexual proclivities is driven by Pride. And most people form these groups so they can be offended. Offense is now a power play. If you offend me, I can demand payment from you.
In fact, this is true with all of us – – we all are far too easily offended. Because insult works to my advantage. Pride uses it to get what it wants. And it is in the realm of feelings we are most ruled by Pride. Dallas Willard writes,
“Pride makes some people extremely hard to reason with. Their very mind has been taken over by one or more feelings and is made to defend and serve those feelings at all costs. It is a fearful condition from which some people never escape…If we allow certain negative thoughts to obsess us, then their associated feelings can enslave and even blind us – that is, take over our ability to think and perceive.”
Are you easily offended? Are you always mad, or hurt, or demanding people to apologize? If you are, Pride is at work in your soul.
Review Dallas’ description of Pride again, and then ask yourself: Do I love or do I demand? The answer reveals how much Pride has gotten a hold of you. The only remedy for pride is death to self. Dallas writes, “Being dead to self is the condition where the mere fact that I do not get what I want does not surprise or offend me and has no control over me.”
Has no control over me.
None.
Is that true for you? If not, you must kill Pride by death. Death to self.
