Submitted by Cindy Walker Burton

Pride: a feeling of deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one’s own achievements. A sense of pride can be very healthy and enthusiastically shared, such as pride for your country, a sports team, your hometown, or a branch of the military. However, pride can cost you everything and leave you with nothing.

Proverbs 16:18 says, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” The Bible contains many accounts of vainglorious individuals who met their downfall. Satan’s pride led him to rebel against God and fall from heaven. Absalom’s pride and ambition led him to rebel against his father (King David) and fall from grace. Miriam was a prideful prophetess who spoke against Moses’ marriage and was stricken with leprosy for seven days because she fell out of favor.

Has your “selfish pride balloon” ever overinflated to the bursting point causing you to fall? Have you ever: fell out of favor, fell from grace, fell from popularity, fell in the ratings, fell on your knees, fell flat on your face? Have you experienced a self aggrandizing “pride ride” that propelled you onward and upward to power, plaudits, status, influence, or recognition, and then you plummeted perilously into a free fall?

If we’re honest with ourselves, we’ve all ridden the tempting Vain Train at least once. All aboard! It’s a one way ticket to vanity insanity. Let your pride be your guide. Destination: Self Worship. Inevitably, this rapturous pride ride will be unceremoniously derailed. It will go off the tracks with a lasting impact, and that’s a fact.

We rise, we fall. If you are crestfallen, take heart with this uplifting Bible verse: “The Lord upholds all who will fall and all who are bowed down.” (Psalm 145:14)

Pride is spiritual and emotional cancer. It is a malignancy that kills the healthy possibilities of contentment, humility, modesty, and decency. Why choose to be terminally sick with self pride when you can choose to radiate healing, helping, and harmonizing? Being self important is a conscious choice. All about me or all about we? Entitled or enlightened? Sanctimonious or sanctified? Self centered or selfless? Attention seeker or attempting meeker? Glory hound or glory bound?

When a self righteous person is all wrapped up in himself or herself, they make a small package intended for an audience of one. Humility is a gift to be unwrapped and is intended for all. Pride comes before the fall. Don’t stumble. Be humble.