Tiny Devotional for Thursday, 02-11-2021

A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, breakfast is postponed.

When pride comes, then comes dishonor;
But with the humble there is wisdom.
Proverbs 11:2, NASB
Startled Armadillo

Pride statements:

  1. “I am better than you are.”
  2. “Look what I can do!”
  3. “I am skilled at my job.”

I’m gonna say the first statement ALWAYS qualifies as the type which precedes dishonor, EVEN THOUGH (or maybe, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE) it has been used as an advertising ploy.

Statement two, on the other hand, is something that grandparents (and parents) LOVE to hear from the little ones, who demonstrate newly acquired skills. I will leave it as an exercise for the reader as to the appropriateness in the adult work environment.

The third statement is practically untarnished; the only caveat is that you should let others make this assessment.

Overall, it seems that “pride” is a minefield, and to be avoided.

HOWEVER!

Perhaps there is another way to go, although it is rather itchy to me at the moment.

“Not ashamed.”

There are nine references to the goodness of being not ashamed in Psalms, and more than ten others in the rest of the Bible. One of those is incorporated it in the name of a contemporary youth discipleship program (AWANA). 

Examples illustrate the difference between being proud, and being not ashamed:

“I am proud of my marriage.”

“I am not ashamed of my marriage.”

That one is EASY! I’m a redneck married to an elegant, foxy, praying black grandmother; being proud of my marriage means shoving the bi-racial aspect in people’s faces. That’s a nope.

“I am proud / not ashamed of my cats.”

Ummm...wait. What?


Peace be on your household.


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