Replace Pride with Humility

Heavenly Father,

I pray that my children will know the incredible freedom of giving of themselves. That's almost oxymoronic...freedom in giving of self.  It is also so typical of the contrast and comparison that is of You, Lord. May my children know the ministry of interruption that circumvents plans and intentions to serve someone else or meet a need.  May they know the ministry of holding their tongues (Yikes....so hard to do!).  May they know the ministry of being non-judgmental and cease to compare themselves to others, great or small. Such liberating behaviors are all wrapped up in servanthood and are sweet beyond description. My own wrestlings with approval addiction bring me to this prayer for my beautiful children. It is painful to live for the goal of people to think well of you. A very wise man called in impression management...living to manage the impression one makes on others. Pretty funny, huh, Lord?? True servanthood is not funny, nor painful nor an imposition.  True servanthood is freeing. It is a training experience to do good and disappear.  Lord, pride is the root human problem.  I think it may even be at the root of all human problems (sin)  for it removes You from the throne of our lives, then, we crawl onto that royal seat to reign over our little, respective kingdoms, when You are Lord of All, Creator of All and King of Everything! It is almost comical how we seek to get credit for the most trivial or mundane little deed while You have ultimate control over every aspect of life; from the smallest atom to the vast expanse of the universe!!  Oh, and what about the pride of spiritual growth!??? Yikes, so sad. And yet, You continue to love us!  May we, including these dear ones, continue to stop trying or pretending to be what we aren't.  You came to earth to demonstrate true servanthood. I pray we will strive to be more like You with each passing day. Being more holy, is not a sprint, but a marathon; a race that lasts a lifetime.  Thank You, Father, for running right alongside us every step of the way and even carrying us, when necessary. In Jesus' Name, Amen

 

 

When pride comes, then comes disgrace,  but with humility comes wisdom.  Proverbs 11:2

 

Where there is strife, there is pride,   but wisdom is found in those who take advice.   Proverbs 13:10

 

 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.   I Corinthians 13:4-7

 

¹⁴ “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” - Luke 18:9-14

 

Humility, if we could ever grow into it, would not be a burden. It would be an immense gift. Humility is the freedom to stop trying to be what we are not, or pretending to be what we are not and accept our 'appropriate smallness.' In Luther's words, humility is the decision to let God be God - John Ortberg

 

Tell tale signs of pride - John Ortberg, The Life You've Always Wanted:

1.  Vanity: perhaps the most common manifestation of pride. Vanity is preoccupation with our appearance or image.

2.  Stubbornness: A form of pride which causes us to shun correction or renders us unable to stop defending ourselves. If someone points out an error or flaw, our response is to evade, deny or blame.

3.  Exclusion: At its deepest level, pride destroys the capacity to love. It leads us to exclude both God and others from their rightful place in our hearts. We compare ourselves to others and are not satisfied until we convince ourselves that we are better, smarter, faster, wealthier, so on.  

​More of Him - Less of me.  Always working on that!   Loves, Forever and always ​ ~