Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.
Proverbs 16:18
Last night I fell, really hard. I hit my head on a concrete floor and Bruised my knees and shoulder. I am alright but it got me to thinking. See my pride or ego was bruised too. I felt helpless laying on the floor with ice on everything. But taking a fall is not the only way we get our ego bruised.
You can take other kinds of falls, not just physical that will bruise the ego. For instance, you can loose a sale if you are in sales to a competitor. Or some one criticizes how you look. Or you find yourself unable to get past a problem without help that at one time you could easily solve. Yet, when we let ego rule us, we are Edging God out.
Sure we can have pride, but we cannot be boastful. Even in the Bible it talks about pride in good ways, like the following:
We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart.
2 Corinthians 5:12
Yet pride is different then ego. The definition of each is:
Ego: a person's sense of self-esteem or self-importance.
Pride: a feeling or deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one's own achievements, the achievements of those with whom one is closely associated, or from qualities or possessions that are widely admired.
Pride can be healthy, for instance I take pride in being a Christian. Ego or self-importance can be costly. It can cost us relationships, jobs, or more. Ego not in check I believe is one of the most dangerous things that could cost us our place in Heaven.
So how do you know if you are letting ego get in the way? I ask the following:
- Am I boasting that I did something?
- Am I hurt cause I didn't get something?
- Am I taking credit when God should or someone else should?
- Am I acting like the big person on campus?
- Am I being humble?
- Am I trying to run the show?
If I answer yes to these, then I am not giving God the glory and I am letting my ego get in the way. I am trying to run the show and say "Hey look at me, look what I did!"
It says this about who is the one who can do all things:
"Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Matthew 19:26
Therefor, I must remember that it is not I that does things, but God. He opens the ways, He gives me the ability, He allows it. Let the glory be to Him and let me take a back seat. So when my ego is bruised, I must remember to take a back seat and let the great Healer take control again.
Are you edging God out of the picture or are you exalting God only?
