It's been a somewhat quiet few weeks in the Blair household recently. After the hectic business of summer residential, the announcement that Sara is pregnant and the resulting morning sickness which led to Sara receiving a second holiday home in the shape of Cley Ward at Norwich University Hospital, the last few weeks have been somewhat understated. Life just carried on, dishes got dirty and washed again, as did the clothes, Malachi kept on being cheeky and adorable and friends came round for dinner. Life just simply continued.
In my normal thoughts, in my normal car on normal days I was drawn to one singular question. How proud am I? This question began to formulate after some unfortunate news and campaigning around a pub called the William Booth (For more on this please check out my friends blog called William Booth Pub). Pride is a funny thing, often positive but equally can become a negative issue of stubbornness and egocentric actions. In our churches we often comment on 'pride'. Proud to be a member, proud to be a DYO, proud to wear our uniform, proud to abstain, etc... Whilst on the surface these statements seem incredibly positive and would seemingly not raise any eyebrows there is a side to pride I have begun to notice over recent weeks, and it is simply this. Pride is divisive.
Pride rarely unites in diversity, instead it highlights differences between opposing thoughts. Pride rarely is teachable, instead it holds to it's guns and stubbornly fights without listening. Pride rarely builds others up, instead it ensures the differences in class, status or popularity are maintained. Pride can be a dangerous thing. Pride is about exalting ourselves to a place were we can nod our heads in appreciation of what we have done. Pride is about massaging our ego's which ultimately leads to the casting down of disapproval to those who don't agree with our stand point. Pride is indeed a selfish dangerous thing.
Jesus speaks about pride in Luke 18, when he tells a parable of a priest and a sinner. The priest, a proud man, highlights his differences between himself and the others, his pride in his standing only serves to massage his own ego and ensures his difference in all things class related can not be mistaken. The sinner simply humbly asks for forgiveness with a recognition that only the ONE can be proud of anything. Jesus states:
“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” Luke 18: 14
Humility is about exalting others before ourselves, humility is about asking the question 'maybe I'm wrong' before arguing that we are right, humility is about unity because in the end we are all sinners, humility is about following Jesus who had no pride in going to the cross and never displayed pride, when he had every justification too ,after his Resurrection, but always walked, talked and lived in humility.
I've reflected a fair amount over the recent normal weeks about my own pride. About the times I've felt proud of the job I did leading worship only to be humbled in a mistake of epic propositions from the mic stand. The times I've been proud to have the knowledge and theology only to be humbled by a young person who gets the intricacies of God's grace without even trying. I am often proud and I'm often in need of humble pie to bring me back to that place of grace and need, to that place were I realise I am no different to anyone else and nothing I do or earn will replace or pay for the love and forgiveness we are all offered.
Maybe before we tell others they're wrong and campaign against a pub because we're proud to be abstainers and that just wouldn't do, maybe before we look at another whose lifestyle could not be more opposite to the values and morals of ours and maybe before we say 'I'm proud to...' we'll ask Jesus to give us another slice of humble pie. In these thoughts I realise I'm humbled to be a dad, not proud, because my son is more than I could ever do or be but instead is a gift of grace to me. I realise I'm humbled to be a DYO, because Jesus has looked beyond my many many wrongs and seen me as right and lives in my ministry. I realise that I am humbled to be his disciple, because nothing I do or have done will ever be enough to earn me that title other than his mercy.
My orders in, a daily extra large slice of humble pie, because it tastes so much better than that pride stuff...
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