We live in a world where anyone can pretend to be an expert in anything. We acquire a small amount of knowledge on a topic and then start to assume that we know more than people who have spent their entire lives working in their dedicated fields. We criticize decisions that we do not understand without acknowledging our limited scope of data. Do we realize how utterly stupid we sound when we talk about actual experts being idiots, morons, and clueless?
This behavior is called pride. When we elevate ourselves above others who clearly are far more accomplished than we are, we expose our foolishness to the world.
Think about someone watching sports in their basement and yelling at the television. Saying things about the players not caring or trying. If we think we care more while watching a game on TV than the players who are actually on the field, then we have issues. Screaming that the coach should be fired because of we think there was a bad play call. There were a thousand variables that went into the play call that we could never consider. Do we ever think about what our families hear us saying? If we question the effort of the most elite athletes in the world, how do our families think we feel about their efforts in life? If we criticize decisions made in the game, how do our families think we judge their decisions in life?
Sports is an obvious example, but what about politics, education, medicine, religion, mental health, sociology, the legal system, relationships, economics, fitness, and food? Pride is intrusive. It may start with a single subject, but it won’t stop there. Pride moves through us and taints everything we think about. We start to think that we know it all and nobody likes a know-it-all.
“When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.” (Proverbs 11:2 NIV)
In other words, “pride goes before a fall.” When we think that we are something we are not, our arrogance will be exposed. Sometimes the fall is sudden and obvious, but most of the time our disgrace is a life-long process of having our credibility and influence chipped away.
Pride screams judgement. Humility asks questions. Pride destroys relationships. Humility builds trust. Pride isolates. Humility invites. Pride is foolish. Humility is wise.
We all have a choice…be humble or be humbled.
If we refuse to let go of foolish pride, our lives will crumble under the weight of our own egos. We will be left alone with ourselves. There will be no one to impress with our expertise, no one to listen to our comparative judgements, and no one to care that we have fallen and cannot get up.
Wisdom is knowing what you don’t know. Humility is an eagerness to discover, to connect, and to grow. Humble wisdom builds up, but foolish pride tears down. If we are tearing others down, pride is at work and our disgrace is complete. Pride is a wasted life.
Be humble or be humbled.
