Then I met Jesus Christ. And I’ll tell you, He broke me like a horse. The first thing that Jesus did for me was help me realize that I do not matter. Nothing good can come from me following my selfish desires. Nothing. Being full of pride does nothing for the Kingdom of God, nothing for the people I love, and contrary to popular believe, absolutely nothing for me.
When people tell you to seek humility and let go of your arrogance, they often tell you to “swallow your pride.” You see, that makes no sense to me. If I want to be less of something, swallowing it is one of the last things I’ll do. Trust me, swallowing fatty candy bars and greasy fried foods does not make me less fat. So I propose we change that saying. Let’s start telling people to spit out their pride. Cool?
Now, I realize spitting out your pride is easier said than done. That is actually one of the greatest struggles I have had to overcome, and I still struggle with it every day. Yet, the more I seek Christ and become like him, the more I realize that I don’t matter. Being proud and selfish only makes me want to be more proud and selfish. Which of those paths sounds better to you?
I have to wake up every morning and spit out my pride. How about you?
This is what the LORD says: “Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know 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)