Do you have a problem with pridefulness? I know I do. And you do too; you just may not realize it. Most of us think of pridefulness as outward boastfulness or exaggerated arrogance. We may picture someone thumping their chest after an athletic achievement. Or perhaps we think of a person who finds it necessary to remind you of how great they are…constantly.
Thankfully, most of us are not prideful in this way. However, there is another less recognizable way that pride takes root in our hearts. To understand this, we must go back to the very beginning where mankind first sinned against God. Of all the temptations that resulted from Adam and Eve partaking of the forbidden fruit, pride stands out as the catalyst.
Look back at the text. In Gen. 3:5 the serpent says, “When you eat of [the fruit] your eyes will be opened and you will be like God.” And then Eve desired the fruit, and ate it, and so did Adam. Do you see that the very root of their temptation was wanting to be like God? That’s pride.
Deep down, that’s what we want as well. We don’t want to submit to God, we want to be our own god. We want to be in charge. We want to make the rules. That is why we sin in the first place. We, like Adam and Eve, believe God is withholding something good from us, and since we know better than him, we sin.
When you read Proverbs 16:18 in light of this understanding, it makes a lot more sense: Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. C.S. Lewis said, “It is pride which has been the chief cause of misery in every nation and every family since the world began.” We would all do well to be more mindful of the pridefulness that’s taken root in our hearts. May God help us to do so today.