Scripture

1 Peter 5:5-7 NLT

And all of you, serve each other in humility, for “God opposes the proud but favors the humble.” So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor.

Consider

Pride is a powerful enemy of healthy relationships.

Its weapon is self-deception—when pride rules us, we fail to see ourselves as we truly are. Pride blinds us to our faults and exaggerates our virtues. It rewrites our memories to downplay our shame and guilt and shifts blame to others. Pride justifies envy, fuels fear, and motivates selfish, hurtful behaviors.

Pride cripples our relationships by rejecting opportunities to be generous, kind, or self-sacrificing. When we measure our worth according to pride’s sensitive scales, our value rises when others are brought low, and we cannot celebrate someone else’s success without feeling in some way diminished. Pride convinces us that our flawed but real selves must be hidden and sometimes sacrificed to maintain an enviable public persona.

God opposes the proud because pride aligns us with forces that oppose God’s rule of love. When pride rules us, we allow our actions and desires to be dictated by greed, jealousy, hatred, and thirst for revenge. Pride blinds us to the realities that God’s light reveals and keeps us from living in truth that can free us to live authentically, joyfully, and generously.

Pray

God of Truth, show me how my prideful ways have damaged my relationships and hurt people I care about. Heal my spiritually blind eyes to see myself as I am and not as I wish I could be. Strip away the veils of hypocrisy that keep my true self hidden from the world and help me live my life with humble authenticity.

Reflect

Philippians 2:5-11; James 4:5-7; 1 John 1:8

Ponder

In what ways does pride typically prevent me from sharing my authentic self with others?