Legacy Series: Pride (Oh, How Easy It Is to Fall)

"Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor than to divide the spoil with the proud." (Proverbs 16:18-19)

I'm sure you've heard it said that "pride comes before the fall." I was certain that this was a quote straight from the Bible, but was a bit disappointed to find out that it's been slightly misquoted. Though the concept isn't completely wrong—it's very much a similar (if not the exact same) idea—this common misquoting is evidence of a subtle, but severely important, idea: Our pride will indeed lead to our demise. It's not as big a deal when you've simply missed a small detail when reciting a verse or recounting the details of a fun story; however, it happens all too often, at least in my own life, that one will act as though they've got "it" figured out—whatever "it" may be. I believe that this is a habit for a lot of us, and though it may be of harmless intent, a reliance on our own knowledge can be the difference between success and failure. Let's look into Scripture to break that down.

What is Pride?

"For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world" (1 John 2:16).

As far as I'm concerned, pride is something like the antithesis (or opposite) of humility. If humility is a mindset of peace with and acceptance of reality (a correct understanding), then pride is a mindset of overestimating our understanding of reality (usually of the reality of our own abilities or understanding). Pride is, unfortunately, a very human thing. Since the very beginning, we've been choosing our own knowledge and understanding over that of the Lord's—it was the decision to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:17; 3:1-8) , and the decision we make each time we go about our business without prayer or in direct disobedience to what God has spoken. This is something that most, if not all, of us is guilty of doing, it's routine for us. I'll get into this a bit later, but pride is a result of separation from God and His Word (the Bible), and it's something that ought to be avoided at all costs. Here's why...

What God Thinks About Pride

"Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord; be assured, he will not go unpunished." (Proverbs 16:5)

Long story short, God hates pride. You can look all throughout Scripture and see that God responds harshly to prideful people (those who rely more on their own strength or understanding than God's). In Exodus, Pharaoh's pride leads to the release of the Israelites (whose own pride leads to their downfall a few chapters later), Saul's pride leads to the effective end of his family's kingdom in 1 Samuel, and we see Christ constantly rebuke the "knowledgeable" Pharisees (Matthew 23). You can look all over Proverbs and find verses like "When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom"; "One's pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor"; "Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him." It's simply true that God does not look highly upon those who look highly upon themselves.

This might be common sense to you. We are very often taught that humility and integrity are much higher virtues than arrogance and pride will ever be. Nobody likes the star athlete who discredits his teammates and coaches or a "know-it-all" who won't take advice or counsel from anyone. Even worse is a man of arrogance who can't see that he's problem. Now, pride might seem like an easy to thing to avoid, especially if you've spent time in Scripture or just living in society, but then there wouldn't be a need for this essay. In a general sense, I'd agree: pride is easily avoidable. Most people know what it looks like, nd hopefully have individuals in their lives who would set them straight. But, as an individual who used to struggle immensely with pride (and could certainly still get better), pride is much sneakier than the loud, bashful arrogance you may be picturing.

Pride Hides in Plain Sight

In the introduction I began a juxtaposition of pride and humility and I want to continue that discussion. I like to define humility as "peace with and acceptance of reality." I believe that this definition captures the true essence of the word; we see this definition play out in the way that we talk about certain individuals. For example, look at Michael Jordan. Jordan is indisputably one of the greatest athletes to step foot on a basketball court, and he talked the talk as much as he walked the walk. Michael Jordan in his prime (and even for a few years on the edge of it, and in most places now) could walk into any basketball gym on the planet and confidently state that he was the best player in said gym—we heard the greats of his time say just as much about him. If someone like Ben Simmons (an excellent athlete in his own right) tried to say the same, he might be right about 98% of the time, but the statement would certainly be seen as an arrogant, prideful one because his regular NBA performance and his words wouldn't line up. It's a silly example, but we see this play out everywhere.

This is where pride sneaks in. As you go along in life, on your journey, you may notice that there are certain areas in which you're very talented or gifted, and it would be wrong of you to deny such abilities. The danger is in refusing to accept the reality that, regardless of how good or gifted you are, you will always need people and you will always need God.

Basketball was the love of my life growing up. I would spend every waking hour of my summers focused on basketball; this looked like going to bed early so that I could get up before the sun rose to get a workout in, then heading outside to shootaround on the hoops by the gym. After that, I'd return home eat, shower, and then I would watch basketball for hours--this was anything basketball related: highlights, documentaries, motivational videos, film breakdowns—before I would make my way to a gym to either work on my dribbling or play some pick-up. It all revolved around basketball, but there was a problem (unbeknownst to me): it was certainly true that I was better than the average person at basketball, and I certainly looked excellent when I was practicing moves by myself; but, in refusing to invite others to help me improve and to judge or critique me, I had an overinflated sense of self as it pertained to my basketball abilities, and this led to the same, gut-wrenching result every year: my name was never mentioned on the final cuts for the basketball team. Not once.

To make matters worse, since I had invested so much time into basketball, it had become a large chunk of my identity and my performance had become the source of my emotional state. To have failed year after year was an awful feeling and it led to a subconscious belief that I hadn't only failed, but that I was a failure. It may not be basketball for you, perhaps it's your performance in school, or abilities as a pastor, or performance in the corporate world or even just as a follower of Christ (or whatever other religion or ideology you subscribe to). As quickly as it can lead to an over-elevated sense of self, pride can just as easily lead to an over-diminished view of oneself—this usually comes as a result of shame. Again, I'm defining pride as any train of thought that does not line up with reality, especially as it pertains to the self; because, even in self-deprecation, to walk with pride is to walk with the assumption that you know best (that you have full knowledge of good and evil). There is, however, an antidote to this disease we call pride: it's a healthy fear of the Lord.

Humility and the Beginning of Wisdom

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths." (Proverbs 3:5-6)

In the beginning, pride looked like the decision to trust our own judgement before God's, and though we're not picking from trees, we continue to make decisions and think thoughts that don't line up with God's wisdom. We continue to act out of pride. The best way to turn this style of living around is to ground yourself in God's Word (a.k.a. the Bible). "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom," we're told. It's in a constant seeking out and submitting to the Lord's will that we find true humility. An understanding of the Gospel (the truth that it is Christ who came and saved us from certain death) and of our position in it is where we find true humility. And in finding true humility, we're able to ground ourselves firmly as we move forward in our journeys--we get to go on with our heads on straight.

I can sincerely say that, since I've come to know the Lord, I've played the best basketball of my life—it's felt that way, at least. I know where I stand as it pertains to my basketball ability, and I know where I stand as it pertains to who I am as an individual. I used to lose sleep over a bad game of basketball, as though each pick up game would be my ticket to the junior varsity basketball team. And though I've grown a lot in my humility (oh how humble I am), I still often struggle with the weight of the world on my shoulders. The funny thing is, no one put that weight there but me. The Lord promises that His "yoke is easy" and that His "burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30).

I write this essay because this journey that each of us embarks on is a long one. I'd rather challenge you to see reality for what it is than to let you walk another day in delusion as I did for so long. This means observing yourself and your surroundings, having necessary conversations, asking for the appropriate assistance, and relying on God. Don't let pride get in the way of your blessings and certainly not in the way of God's plans for your life. Jeremiah 29:11 tells us that God does indeed have plans for our lives, but the following verses tell us that the goal of these plans is to turn us to the Lord (that we'd seek Him first). As I've reminded you in each of these segments: this is a discovery more so than a creation or manifestation of legacy. God created each of us for a specific purpose, He knows what we're meant to leave behind; so if you gain nothing else from this series, remember that fact and place your trust in God. Please, don't go forth on your own strength or understanding. Be blessed, seek wisdom, and enjoy.

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Verses to Look Back On:

Proverbs 1:7

Proverbs 3:5-6

Proverbs 16:18-19

Jeremiah 29:11-13

Matthew 11:28-30

Matthew 23