Wisdom for Everyday LifeSample

Humility Over Pride

While our culture is all about grasping for success and prominence and pursuing our preferences, Proverbs shows us that the way down is actually the way up. In a world where pride is encouraged, humility is a superpower. God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. So, it’s wise to be humble!

The first step to pursuing humility is to go low. This goes against what we’re encouraged to do in every other arena of life, particularly on social media, where many of us have mastered the humble brag. Pride can take extroverted forms (like someone talking incessantly about their achievements), or introverted forms (like someone silently convinced of their superiority).

Tim Keller said pride doesn’t rejoice in having something; it celebrates having more of it than the next person. In that sense, pride is anti-social. Your ability to connect well with people is closely linked to the degree of your humility or the extent of your pride. Pride inhibits the very authentic, selfless connections and friendships you need to become wise. C. S. Lewis described pride as the ruthless, sleepless, unsmiling concentration on the self. When it comes to wisdom, pride is your greatest enemy, and humility is your greatest friend.

The second step to pursuing humility is to go last. Proverbs tells us that pride comes before a fall, but humility precedes honour. Pride essentially makes us stupid, because it convinces us we needn’t listen to wise counsel. We need to be willing to recognise that we’re proud and that constantly comparing ourselves to others isn’t helping us at all. Pride isolates us and corrodes connections because we filter every experience through the question, ‘Is this good for my status and image?’ How we treat people who can do nothing for us says a great deal about our character. Pride builds barriers while humility builds bridges.

The third step to pursuing humility is to go long – in other words, take the eternal view. When we remember that life in this world is fleeting, our pride dissipates. What’s more, pride is a kind of cosmic plagiarism. Everything we have is a gift from God, and yet pride has us claiming we’re self-made, taking credit for something God did.

Take time to contemplate the humility of Jesus, the most important person who has ever lived. He had three years to teach and train a team to start and sustain the global church. Jesus’ available time was finite – and yet He never pushed past people. He spent time with the least, the last, and the lost. He helped the brokenhearted. He came to serve not to be served, to give not to get. He fed thousands before feeding Himself. Although angels worship Him, He slipped away from crowds and deflected praise to His Father. The closer we get to Jesus, to more we realise the deep wisdom of these Proverbs. The way up is the way down. God shows favour to the humble. With humility comes wisdom.