Jeff Foxworthy did a wonderful job of giving tell-tale signs of being a redneck – like if you go to a family reunion looking for a date. However the tell-tale signs of having issues with pride may be even more useful. Pride is very tricky and often those that struggle with it are unaware they have a problem. Here are some tell-tale signs that you might have an issue with pride. If you can identify with three or more of these… you might have a problem.
1. Fault finding. They seem to always see the errors in other people’s characters.
2. Gossip. Not only might they notice the errors in other people, they talk about them in a mean and uncompassionate way.
3. Worried about what others think of us. Those struggling with pride are always worried about what others are thinking of them. This is because their world is all about me, me, me. Why did she look at me that way? What is she saying about me? Do you think he noticed this or that about me?
4. Unhealthy view of God. They either think that God’s law is unreasonable or that His grace is insufficient to forgive their sin. A humble person will accept God’s law as the divine plan for his or her life and accept His grace for forgiveness and restoration.
5. Limelight. They want attention. Some want to be the life of the party. Others want everyone to feel sorry for them. Some are drama-queens always making a mountain out of a mole hill.
6. Extremely sensitive. They get their feelings hurt easily often wanting revenge. The humble person is able to ignore a lot of what others do or say but the prideful person does not understand what it means to suffer a wrong.
7. Neglectful. Pride is quick to respond to people they admire but often neglects those around them. They take friends and family for granted and do things for people that will never appreciate them (like friends and family will) and sometimes will not even acknowledge them.
So how can one overcome pride? It starts with taking a moral inventory of ourselves. I did this. I listed all my resentments and my character defects connected to each one (not the other guy’s defects). I listed all my fears and all my character defects connected with each one. Then I made a list of everyone I harmed and made amends to them accept when doing so would hurt them or others. I humbly submitted to God and came into agreement with Him. I agreed that His law is the guide for my life and His grace covers all my sin. As I became acquainted with my own defects, I became much more tolerant of others people’s defects. I started seeing others as people God wants me to minister to and stopped worrying about what they think of me.
