Episode Transcript  

One

Pride

Jesus is the Good Shepherd who has come to give us life in abundance. But He also said the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. One of the most destructive forces in our lives is pride, not because it’s always loud, but because it’s often hidden. Pride is all the ways we try to create our identity, validate our existence, and prove our worth apart from God. Pride doesn’t only show up as overconfidence. It often hides in anxiety and pressure, in scrupulosity, living as if one mistake would make you unlovable, in the need to control, in overwork, in resentment, or in quiet despair. All of these say the same thing beneath the surface: “If I don’t hold myself together, I will be worthless and unloved.”

When you think of your identity and self-worth, what do you associate it with most? Your profession, some accomplishment or attribute, some relationship, maybe that you are a parent or grandparent? Ask yourself, what is the one thing you fear losing the most? Is it possible you fear losing it because it gives you your identity and value? What is that thing for you? 

Two

The Danger

If the thing we most associate our identity with or think makes us valuable is anything other than God, then our life is built on something that will eventually fail us. Unless you know that your identity and value come from God, that you are loved by God, you can never be sure your worth is real. You will always need something else to prove it.

Professions come to an end, accomplishments fade, children and grandchildren need us less and we become irrelevant. And woe to us to base our worth on the opinion of others. People are fickle. They are constantly changing their opinion of you. Your value in the eyes of the world is always trending up and down.

If there is no guarantee of your value, then you can’t be sure it’s true, and you will spend all your time and energy trying to make it true, all your effort trying to convince others it is true, and fearing any suggestion that it might not be true. 

Three

Sin and Ego 

The other problem of seeking our identity and worth apart from God is that our defects, sins, limitations, deficiencies, and failures scream at us that we are worthless. Now here is where sin becomes a real problem. Sin makes us doubt our claim to goodness and validation. Sin challenges our sense of self-worth. 

That is why we resist admitting our sins, and one of the reasons many people resist Jesus. Admitting our sin and our need for a Savior is the greatest threat to our ego and our self-worth. But deep down, we know the truth. We know we are broken, and our defects tell us we are not valuable. 

Then what is the solution?

Four

Humility

Humility is the remedy for pride. Humility is not thinking too little of ourselves. Humility is thinking correctly about ourselves, and there are two fundamental truths about us: First, I am not God, and I have limits. Second, I am God’s immeasurably beloved and precious kid. I am worthwhile, I have gifts, talents, and strengths that are needed for the good of others. 

The fact that I have limits is not a downer; it is a source of joy. I don’t have to try to be God. I don’t have to be perfect. I can admit and accept I have limits. This takes the pressure off, which allows me to be even more creative and use the gifts God has given me as His beloved son, and this is a source of joy. 

So relax, you are loved and valued by God. Your identity and value are indestructible. It comes from God. As God’s kids, we get to do and pursue all kinds of fantastic things, become amazing people, and pursue the good things of life and delight in them because God made us for delight and not for sorrow.

Five

Gratitude 

Gratitude is the bridge to cross over from pride to humility. Each day, reflect on these questions: For what am I grateful, and to whom am I grateful? These good things are the concrete manifestations of God’s love for me. Then ask, how have I responded to His love? With gratitude, I recognize my need for God and the good things coming from Him to me. 

We grow in gratitude by becoming aware of the good in each present moment. The good of the person I am with, the nature I am walking in, the work I am doing, the meal I am preparing or eating, and this time with God in friendship and prayer. Find the good of each moment and delight in it, and you will grow in gratitude. 

In this way, happiness follows gratitude, and gratitude conquers pride. 

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