Pride is a sneaky thing. If not watched for, pride can slowly creep into every area of our lives. And when it has taken root, an attitude shift starts to take place in our hearts. We go from having our eyes on God and His glory, to having our eyes on us and our glory. We move from loving our brothers and sisters to comparing, judging, and looking down on them. It’s not even a conscious choice to change sides. The attitude shift can happen so slowly and so quietly that one day we may look up and ask, “how did I get here?” 

So how do we stop this shift from happening? How do we keep our hearts humble and thus avoid a scoffer’s heart? How do we stay on the side of God’s righteousness and not lose our footing? 

I think it starts with the acknowledgment that we are equal with every other person on this planet, no matter who they are or what they have done. We are all broken, and we need a Savior. Then from there, we have to hold onto that truth with both hands, knowing that this world, our own sin natures, and the enemy will try to make us forget it. We also need people who will show us when we are starting to let go of that truth for the lie that we are somehow better than those around us.  

It takes keeping our eyes on Christ every day! It’s a constant realignment of our gaze… over and over again. Because let’s face it, we are easily distracted! We have to make it a habit to stop and reassess where our focus is whether we are in the middle of success or struggle. It takes constant recalibration to keep our compasses fixed on Him. And this continual re-shifting of our focus takes commitment and intentionality to do the hard work of sanctification every day. It means surrendering to the pulling and pressing of the Spirit inside us. It means being diligent to seek Christ more than anything else in this world.  

And it takes grace- grace for ourselves when we mess up, and grace for others when they do. It takes understanding that we, and those around us, will get it wrong sometimes. But instead of staying on the track of pride, we have to stop, turn about face, and head in the opposite direction, knowing that we serve a Savior who is always ready to receive us with open arms. Too often we get stuck in ruts, and we don’t know how to get out or we are too scared to get out. But Jesus never called us to something that He wasn’t going to walk with us in. So, whatever it looks like to make a fresh start, you are never alone, and there is grace eternal to see you through!