Pride

Most girlfriends and wives sooner or later run into male pride and stubbornness when it comes to asking for help. Men would rather drive around for half an hour than ask for directions. (Stupid, right?) Why do men do that? Pride. We place great value in figuring things out on our own, taking care of ourselves, not being dependent. 

Women have pride too—unable to say, “I was wrong,” “It was my fault,” “I’m sorry.” As hard as pride is on our human relationships, it is very hurtful to our faith lives as well. Pride is a prayer killer because proud people don’t want to ask anybody for help. They want to work on their own situation all by themselves, and even when their lives are going poorly, they prefer a miserable status quo to humbling themselves and asking God for his help. 

And so God waits. Sometimes he gently invites his struggling children to come home and talk to Daddy. Sometimes he uses his divine two-by-four upside their heads to get their attention, to show that they really can’t get out of the hole they’re in all by themselves.

Pride is a prayer killer. Here’s a better attitude: “My heart is not proud, Lord, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. But I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content” (Psalm 131:1,2).