Quiet Time Notes

Notes from my daily Quiet Times with God

Proverbs on Pride (part III)

September 23rd, 2011
Previous | Next

Proverbs 13:10 - wise men and women listen to each other's counsel

Proverbs 18:11 - The rich think their wealth protects them

Illustration:

I read that when a caterpillar exists in its lowly state it can get as close as it wants to other caterpillars.
They climb all over each other and share grounds selflessly.
But as soon as the caterpillar spreads its wings and takes flight, it can never again get close as it once did to other creatures.
The beauty of its wings is the very thing that prevents it from getting close.
When we puff ourselves up with pride, we cannot get close to people around us.
We beat our wings against theirs and we both are destroyed.

The most deadly attribute of pride in a relationship is selfishness.

It takes humility to have truly great relationships
When we are selfish we refuse to share what we have with others (time, possessions, self)
If we fail to share ourselves, then on one will really know us.
It is impossible to be really close to people and be selfish

#2. Pride kills self-esteem (Proverbs 26:12)

Pride blinds us to who we really are
We get a false image of ourselves and cling to that image instead of the truth
Underneath our arrogance and pride are feelings of self-loathing and extreme neediness
In order to overcome we puff ourselves up, we act as if we have it together
Unfortunately we only fool & hurt ourselves because others can see through it.
This shell of pride can also keep others away as we duck our heads back in (turtle)
As long as we stay in our shell we are prisoners of our own pride, destine to live a lonely life

Key Phrase: Pride blinds us to who we really are