We all know the adages about pride: how pride cometh before the fall, how God humbles the proud and elevates the humble, etc. Yet, the apostle Shaul (Paul) said how he boasted (which the prideful do) about supporting himself while performing his missionary work (1 Corinthians 9:15).
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There is a difference between pride and pridefulness. I have run into this same confusion with the words judging and judgementalism.
In my opinion, the difference is significant: to me, being proud is a personal feeling that results from having accomplished something difficult, or having done something very well. On the other hand, pridefulness is making a public statement of your what you have done in order to increase your standing within the community. In other words, pride is (or should be) a private feeling, where pridefulness is always a public declaration.
I am proud of the accomplishments I have achieved in my life, having been in a position of authority in the military, I have had success in different sports activities, I was pretty good when I was in the business world, and I have been blessed to be considered somewhat influential in my relationship with others in the houses of worship I have attended.
Now, if I was prideful, then I would go into detail about how few people ever get to be a Marine, let alone an officer in charge of 365 men and millions of dollars of equipment, or how many trophies I won at martial arts competitions, beating many other contestants each time, and how I was the top shot in intramural shooting competitions when I was on active duty, and how I won cruises because I was one of the two top salesman in a large company, or being asked to serve on the Council of each house of worship I ever attended, and not only that, but I also …well, you see, now I am being prideful!
There is nothing wrong in being proud of accomplishments you have achieved, especially when they have been challenging. It is that sense of pride that gives us self-confidence, which is absolutely necessary to have as a believer because without self-confidence, you will never be able to withstand the attacks of the Enemy.
A sense of pride is an asset that will help you to maintain your faith and strengthen you when you face obstacles in your walk with God, which (if you are walking correctly) you WILL encounter. The Enemy doesn’t worry about those whose faith is weak because they can be easily swayed to apostacy. He doesn’t bother at all with the sinful- they’re already on his side.
But to the faithful, he will come at you with all he has, and when you have a history of accomplishments, the knowledge of your past accomplishments, especially when you have overcome challenges, gives you the confidence to know you can overcome whatever Satan throws at you.
Of course, wearing the armor of God (Ephesians 6:14) is a big help, as well!
Pride can be an asset or a detriment, depending on how you deal with it. If you find yourself bragging, you’re probably on the wrong track; but, when you know you have done things few people have been able to do, but it is not something that you constantly make public, then you are handling it correctly.
We are told in the Bible that God humbles the proud, but I believe it refers only to those who are prideful. It’s true that being proud of yourself, and yet remaining humble, takes a lot of inner strength, whereas pridefulness just demonstrates one’s insecurity and weakness.
That’s it for this week! Please remember to subscribe and share these messages with everyone you know, whether or not they are a believer. Hey! you never know how good the soil is until you put a seed in it.
L’hitraot, my friends, and let me wish you an early Shabbat Shalom!
