Pride: It’s My Hard Work That Got me Here
Prideful Thought: I’m in my job, house and place in life because I did the hard work.
Truth: It’s God’s goodness and grace that has lifted me up and encouraged me through others in my life. I am who I am and am where I am in life because of God’s love surrounding me in people.
Photo by Brooke Lark on Unsplash
It's all about me, me, me. It's easy to slip into an illusion that says I'm the reason for everything in my life. Oh, how terribly incorrect this is. It is an attitude that is celebrated in culture these days. I'm a user experience designer by profession, and I've seen how personalization in every kind of software is in high demand. People expect the world to revolve around them. Software included. And I'm no fantastical immune human who's an exception to this way of thinking. Nope. It can catch me too.
In all of the various accomplishments I reached in my life, there have been times when I felt like it was all due to my own efforts only. I felt like I was the reason why I lived where I did, had the job I had, and grew as a person the way I did. All of this hanging on to what I did. This was nowhere near the truth. Yes, there is something to be said about partnering with God and following His lead in our lives. There is something to be said about obeying God when He instructs us when he commands us. That requires involvement, decisions, and effort on our part; however, that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about brute pride. The type of puffy pride that says I'm here because of me alone. How deadly and dangerous this thought can be if given room to grow.
How gracious is our Holy God to take me aside and correct me in love and kindness? He showed me how dangerous and untrue it is. I am who I am, have accomplished what I have, and am still of sound mind because of God's goodness and love expressed to me through people in my life. His power and presence in my life is the only reason I'm breathing.
We can so easily take for granted how God shows His goodness, kindness, love, compassion, and correction through relationships in our life. Through the sacrifices of others to help us grow, through selfless listening ears and encouragement, we mature into who we are day by day. We can be tempted to feel entitled to the gifts given to us in this life that feel so normal. Sometimes, the people we're closest to can be the ones with which we have the greatest blindspots.
I didn't accomplish anything on my own. I know how to dress and conduct myself because of my parents. I know how to use words and communicate because of the community of people around me when I was a child. I know how to learn because I was taught at a young age how to understand, which allowed me to reach various educational levels. I have a passion and interest in user experience design because my late husband encouraged me to pursue a career in this area and because one of my bosses allowed me to practice my new skills in a 100-year-old company for the first time. All that I have in my life is an accumulation of the graciousness of those around me. That graciousness came directly from the heart of the Father God to me through them. All I am and all I have are gifts.
Who are you a gift to?
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“And to be transformed as you embrace the glorious Christ-within as your new life and live in union with him! For God has re-created you all over again in his perfect righteousness, and you now belong to him in the realm of true holiness.”
Ephesians 4:24 TPT
“Now, it is God himself who has anointed us. And he is constantly strengthening both you and us in union with Christ.”
2 Corinthians 1:21 TPT