Pride & Comparison

Monday, March 22nd, 2010 | Lent Meditations

This is what the LORD says:
“Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom
or the strong man boast of his strength
or the rich man boast of his riches,
but let him who boasts boast about this:
that he understands and knows me,
that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness,
justice and righteousness on earth,
for in these I delight,”
declares the LORD. -Jeremiah 9:23-24

“Pride is essentially competitive—is competitive by its very nature—while the other vices are competitive only, so to speak, by accident. Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man. We say that people are proud of being rich, or clever, or good-looking, but they are not. They are proud of being richer, or cleverer, or better-looking than others. If everyone else became equally rich, or clever, or good-looking there would be nothing to be proud about. It is the comparison that makes you proud: the pleasure of being above the rest.”
-C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had…he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. -Philippians 2:3-5,7

Knowing who we really are is freeing. And what a mix we are! We are utterly helpless and completely dependent on God’s grace for every single breath that we take, yet we are also the sons and daughters of the King of the universe! We cannot possibly say that we are greater than another person, for on our own we are nothing and have nothing. On the other hand, in Christ we possess everything—so how could we be less than another? Either way, comparison is meaningless!

Father, it is so tempting to compare myself to others and develop pride or envy. Please forgive me for the times when I have sinned in this way. Help me to see myself as You see me—as Your child, forgiven, free, and loved in Your sight. May Your love be the only thing that matters to me. Amen

Tags: Lent 2010