“Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.” (Philippians 2:3-4)
One of my favorite biblical accounts is when Jesus washed his disciples’ feet. (John 13:3-17) Peter objected because he felt unworthy, but when Jesus told him unless he allowed him to do it he would not belong to Him, Peter wanted Jesus to wash all of him not just his feet. Jesus assured him it was only necessary to wash that which is dirty. The Son of God with tens of thousands of angels at His service chose to kneel in humble service to those He loved and thus demonstrate to them (and to us) what gives a person real value and stature is neither power nor prestige but love and service.
It was pride that caused Lucifer’s fall from heaven. He drew praise from some of his fellow angels so he began to think he should also receive some of the praise and worship reserved for God. As my grandparents would put it, “He got too big for his britches.” Lest we think we are somehow immune Proverbs 17:21 tells us, “Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but a person is tested by being praised.”
Ethel Waters once said, “We are all gifted. That is our inheritance.” When we discover and use our gift to benefit others it will please God but it will also draw praise from other people and that will be our test. To keep from failing the test we must quickly pass the praise to God who gave us our gift. If we hold onto it too long we will begin to think that we deserve it and pride will start to control us. Don’t misunderstand, not all pride is sinful. It is perfectly fine for us to be proud of the accomplishments of family members, friends and others. It is self-pride that makes our hats (and britches) begin to tighten.
By the way, there is also a big difference between pride and self-worth. Self-worth is something we all need for a healthy life and positive relationships with our Creator and others. How can we love others as ourselves if we feel unlovable? Positive self-esteem comes from encouragement not from praise. Jesus proved our worth when He thought we were to die for. (John 3:16) There is no greater calling for believers than to provide encouragement to everyone around us, especially children who are forming their self-identity.
May each of us be able to say with the psalmist, “Lord my heart is not proud; my eyes are not haughty. I don’t concern myself with matters too great or too awesome for me to grasp. (Psalms 131:1)