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| My Quiet Place |
Pride
Over the next seven weeks, I am going to be studying The Seven Deadly Sins found
can't wait to share with you my thoughts and personal reflection on these vices and
virtues.
Recently, God has been revealing how prideful I really am. Pride is a virus that steeps into every aspect of our life. Pride is the root of all sins, a scary thought. Whenever one sins, he is essentially saying “what I want is better than what God wants”. Ironically, even low self-esteem is a form of pride. If one feels bad about themself, they will fall into self-pity and become selfishly wrapped up in themselves. Pride is very deep and very deceptive.
I loved reading C.S. Lewis’ thoughts on “The Great Sin” of pride and its various forms. Referring to pride he says, “...the more we have it ourselves, the more we dislike it in others”. Pride centers around competition. Pride means wanting only the best for oneself. When two people are seeking the best for their own lives, tension arises between them. They both think they are worthy for what they seek and, in turn, do not believe anyone else should have what they themself “deserve”. Pride is also linked to comparison. For instance, if a girl compares her straight blonde hair to another girl’s curly brunette hair, she will either be discontent with her own hair, a form of pride, or will think her hair is superior, another form of pride. Ouch! I do this a lot.
I know pride is a vice, but I have never thought about how disgusting it really is. Pride is from the devil. Pride looks down on everyone and as long as you are looking down, you cannot see anything that is above you. God is not even in the picture when a man displays pride. When a believer thinks he is better than someone else, even in their religious life, they are showing signs of the devil’s work. In fact, Lucifer’s pride was the very reason he was kicked out of heaven. Satan “set himself in glory above the other angels and desired to be equal with the Most High”. This proves even more so that pride is hopelessly wicked and the greatest of all sins!
Eliminating pride and increasing humility in my heart seems like a hopeless endeavor. Pride cuts so deep and is hidden behind even the smallest and most “righteous” of actions. Many times I love others not because I value them more than myself, but because I want them to think well of me. I often compare my appearance with other girls which only leads to arrogance or jealousy. The biggest area of pride in my life is seeking self-fulfillment in man’s approval and entertainment. May I work to improve these things by admitting I am prideful and realizing that, through God’s strength and grace, I can be humble as he is humble. If I focus on killing the root of all sins, then I will overcome other sin issues and be able to love others in the purest way.
❊Question for the Comments❊
Are there areas of pride in your life that you need to address?
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| The Girl Next Door |
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