Esther 6:4-9

So the king said, “Who is in the court?” Now Haman had just entered the outer court of the king’s palace to suggest that the king hang Mordecai on the gallows that he had prepared for him. The king’s servants said to him, “Haman is there, standing in the court.” And the king said, “Let him come in.” So Haman came in, and the king asked him, “What shall be done for the man whom the king delights to honor?” Now Haman thought in his heart, “Whom would the king delight to honor more than me?” And Haman answered the king, “For the man whom the king delights to honor, let a royal robe be brought which the king has worn, and a horse on which the king has ridden, which has a royal crest placed on its head. Then let this robe and horse be delivered to the hand of one of the king’s most noble princes, that he may array the man whom the king delights to honor. Then parade him on horseback through the city square, and proclaim before him: ‘Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor!’”

Oh, pride…that little five letter word that I have truly grown to dislike.  A word that has proven to hurt so many lives, ruined so many relationships, guided so many down paths harder than they should have been. Pride doesn’t discriminate; it touches the work place, the home, the church, it wraps itself around our hearts and makes life a difficult place.

Googling verses on pride, I found many more than the word count of this blog will allow.

• I will break down your stubborn pride.  Leviticus 26:19
• He grew proud, to his destruction. For he was unfaithful to the Lord his God.    2 Chronicles 26:16
• In his pride the wicked does not seek Him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.  Psalm 10:4
• When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.  Proverbs 11:2
• Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice. Proverbs 13:10
• Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.  Proverbs 16:18
• A man’s pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor.  Proverbs 29:23
• But when his heart became arrogant and hardened with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne and stripped of his glory.  Daniel 5:20
• Your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God.  Deuteronomy 8:14
• Though the LORD is on high, He looks upon the lowly, but the proud He knows from afar.  Psalm 138:6
• The LORD detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished. Proverbs 16:5
• Better to be lowly in spirit and among the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud.  Proverbs 16:19
• Before his downfall a man’s heart is proud, but humility comes before honor.  Proverbs 18:12
• Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  1 Corinthians 13:4

I would be lying if I tried to say that I haven’t had an issue with pride.  I like being able to do everything myself and I don’t like asking for help and I don’t like admitting that I am wrong.  I had the thought that doing these things made me weak.  They made me less of a woman, less of a wife, less of a mom.  I should be able to handle it all.  I have the skills, the know-how and the desire.  This is pride in a different sense than what Haman showed; but it is pride none-the-less.

When these thoughts of pride and inadequacy creep in I remind myself that I have not been doing this without God and that I cannot continue to do this without God.  We are not created to do things alone, to walk our paths alone, we can only do it with God on our side. This is where Haman fell short; he thought that he alone reached the position he was in, he thought that no other man could be held in such high regard as him. His pride was his downfall.  I don’t want to see this in my life and I don’t want to see it in yours.

It’s wrong to be proud of our accomplishments. I don’t think it’s wrong to think that we did a good job at something.  But we need to remember to give honor where honor is due.

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Let’s Pray:

Dear Heavenly Father, You bless us daily. You give us skills and talents that allow us to accomplish tasks, to succeed in this life. Lord, please forgive us for the times where we allow pride to take over, for the times when we fail to thank You.  Give us a gentle reminder when our pride starts to get too big, when we look to ourselves, and forget to look towards You.

In Jesus’ name we pray.

Amen.