PRIDE IS BIG

I've always heard that "pride goeth before the fall". In college, a professor corrected all of the wrongly taught Southern Baptist children and directed us to Proverbs 16:18, "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall." Falling and destruction are a little different I do believe. Ironically, he was being prideful about his knowledge of this bit of Scripture. It seems funny to me that when pride rises up in a person, they very rarely see it as such.
          I need to share a story about two people, but I will respect their privacy and rename them. My story is about Billy and Jeff. These two guys have known each other for a long time, and really understand each other. So, Jeff decided he wanted to get a different job. This job would take him halfway around the world, away from his family, friends, and any known environment he had ever been in. Billy, his friend, told him that he might get homesick and regret this decision. Jeff decided Billy was a butthead and went anyway. Two weeks later, Jeff got a job putting in vending machines. He doesn't talk to Billy anymore.
          What's the moral of this story? Billy was speaking truth to Jeff, but Jeff didn't want to hear it. So, he did what he wanted to anyway, haughty spirit before a fall, and wound up in a different place, not talking to his friend anymore. Why? Because his pride was hurt. His buddy was right and he hated it. Instead of admitting Billy was right, Jeff hardened his heart and ignored him.
          Pride can be a very ugly thing because it deals with how we view our selves. If anything directly affects us personally, then pride steps in to challenge and set self as the king on the throne. Jeff felt like Billy questioned his manliness by saying he couldn't handle the new job. Billy was just trying to give his friend some good advice. Care must be taken when dealing with pride. Pride raises you up above everything else: it could be in relation to your intellect, work ethic, clean record, or notoriety. Regardless, God never intended for you or I to be the center of attention. We are not in the spotlight, but are rather the clowns that everyone laughs at because they are silly and foolish.
          Humility is hard. If God has granted you a natural physical talent; singing, dancing, athletics, academics, or arts, then it is easy to ride the wave of self and raise yourself above others. It is much harder to lay that aside and allow others to use their gifts. But, we are daily called to die to the flesh, deny ourselves, and follow Christ.
          We play with Scripture like a child plays with matches. Intrigued by its flame, but really unaware of the power that lies within. Where the analogy breaks down is flames cause destruction that devastates, while Scripture causes destruction that restores.