Pride~

Proverbs 16:18 "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall" (NIV)


There was a time when my daughter needing tutoring in some classes. Now to back up, she had always maintained a 3.3 GPA, however this year had been unusually tough on her and she needed the help. After setting up the tutoring sessions for her, her response to me was " yea that's good, but it makes me feel dumb to need them." She had been struggling for some time,however had not told anyone, me for one,that she needed help. Instead she keep rolling her way and became very overwhelmed. It got to the point where is was to much for her to handle.
I see Proverbs 16:18 in two folds. "pride goes before destruction" tells me that when we don't seek help, whether it be school work, on the job or in our daily tasks, that is pride that allows destruction to take hold of our daily lives. The Message bible says "First pride, then the crash-" Even though my baby girl may not have seen it was pride that keep her from reaching out, it was the misconception of "I got this" and the "crash" that came was failing grades.
The second part of that verse, "a haughty spirit before the fall." Webster Dictionary defines haughty as : blatantly and disdainfully proud" : having or showing the insulting attitude of people who think they are better, smarter or more important than other people."  I don't believe she thought she was better or smarter or even more important than those around her, however her little ego (that haughty little spirit) told her she was smart enough to fix an issue that was bigger than herself. The Message bible says " the bigger the ego, the harder the fall."
The devil had convinced her that she could not come to me, her mom, nor her teachers because we all would think she was dumb. She didn't see herself full of pride, probably didn't even realize what it was. In her mind she was acting  on her own independence. How many times have we all come up against something in our own lives that we told ourselves, "I got this?" or " I don't need any help" only to make a bigger mess.I have done that so many times in my own life. I would tell myself I can fix this! I was allowing the devil to speak into my situation. He knew the bigger the mess he could keep me in, the more prideful I would become. Just my own embarrassment and humiliation would keep me on that same path. Through my pride I was disgraced. However God tells us in Proverbs 11:2 "When pride comes then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom."Once I truly began to acknowledge I was walking in pride, God was able to step in and walk me out of humiliation and disgrace. When my daughter was able to say, "Mom I need help', I was able to step in and help steer a new course for her. With our "humility" God granted us "wisdom. Sometimes we mistake our pride for independence; there is a fine line between the two.
Take a moment and reflect on situations in your own life. Are they growing with one problem after another? Have doors you opened helped or increased the problems? If increasing, stop and look around you, God has your help right in front of you. It is up to us all to "swallow that pride" and ask for help. ~
 Much Love,
Stacey