Words to Treasure
When pride comes, shame follows. But wisdom comes to those who are not proud.
Proverbs 11:2
Suna was a good snowboarder, and she knew it. People would often point at her as she sped down the slope. She looked good — real good. One day, Suna saw some kids resting on the side of the slope. She decided to cruise past, do some moves, and get their attention. They’d get to see she was good — really good. Suna pushed off but didn’t see the patch of dirt in front of her. All of a sudden she was out of control and heading straight for a beginners’ class. She didn’t actually hit any of them when she crashed, but they sure freaked out and their instructor was unimpressed. Suna looked like the biggest showoff on the slope. Pride truly does come before a fall.
Pride can mean having an overly high opinion of yourself and then showing off because of it. Pride doesn’t look good on you. Pride isn’t high on God’s to-do list. In fact, it isn’t even on his list. Show-off kind of pride is something to completely avoid. Or it just might trip you up.
People in Bible Times
Jesus told a story of a show-off who wanted to get attention by seating himself at the head table at a party. But the host of the party brought a humble friend from the back table to join the most important guests at the front table. This meant the host asked the show-off to move to the back of the room. And everybody was watching! How embarrassing!