Before a downfall the heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor. ~ Proverbs 18:12
The other night the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrated the home opener of the 2013 shortened hockey season! I for one was quite excited! No football and no hockey this time of year in Pittsburgh, makes a very long winter!
It was a grand opening and I watched it with pride in my hometown team! They really played up the team and their stars! Lots of cheering and for the players it had to be an extreme influx of self esteem!
Then the game started and for 60 minutes the Pens had it handed to them. They came out flat, and had so many give-a-ways…. It looked like Christmas for the Toronto Maple Leafs! Maple Leafs 4 – Penguins 2……… BUMMER!
Then I heard this interesting stat…… only 11 teams out of 29 at that point had won their home opener?!?! Usually a big advantage.
It was enough of an oddity that the announcers kept bringing it up.
When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. ~ Proverbs 11:2
That’s right pride comes before the fall! Check out this video, if you don’t believe it….
Oh boy does it. I know it, you know it! The truth is when we start getting so into ourselves we often experience great loss, due to overconfidence or self belief.
Now self confidence is a good thing! Over-confidence is not!
Perhaps the self promotion put forth before these home openers is why these teams lost. Maybe not. I’m just saying……
Facebook…….. Our cultures lovely self promotion machine. Yes I’m on it and you are too if you’re reading this, but us old folks use it in moderation… for the most part.
Have you seen the kids w/over 1,000 personal pictures of themselves! What kinda fall are they setting up for themselves. How many kids feel as if they are the center of the universe! All of them…. I know. But our culture promotes this self promotion.
NFL players self promote themselves in the end zone after a score, when they make a hit or catch…… Last I knew that was their job! How many times do they fail because they’re so concerned with selling their own brand? How many times?
This home opener made me feel as if the beloved Pens were thinking of their news clippings and not the task at hand.
In personal context, where do you and I get caught up in over confidence? Do you struggle at all with pride? I truly feel pride is the root of all sin, and leads to our self ruin!
Think about it……….. What I want is more important than what God says. I want that,…… I steal, I’m looking out for my own self interest ,……. so I lie. My life is more important than his or hers or anyone else and I cheat, kill or slander!
I’m the center of the universe…….. PRIDE! Look, Look, Look at me…. at what I can do, how good I am. Jesus addressed this….
6 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
Matthew 6:1
Isn’t it interesting in these times, when people are so immersed in building themselves up for all to see, that we find our country falling apart?
For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.
Matthew 23:12
The Bible talks a lot about being humble and being prideful and how God feels about each!
America, I fear is being humbled by the arrogance so many have towards others. Or due to their self pride! Whatever their belief, no one is worthy of compromising with.
God assures us pride comes before the fall. Yet He also raises the humble!
It’s ironic that we try so hard promoting ourselves, so we can be exalted, yet God promise exaltation for those who do the exact opposite! Humility.
I wonder what kind of celebration the 11 NHL teams that won their home openers had. Were they less pretentious than the losers pre game celebrations were?
Thought to ponder on your journey today: Are you considerate of others, do you have room for others in your orbit? Is it all about you, or do you care for how your life and actions affect others? Are you humble?
Thee Bloomin Idiot 