Pride

“The best means of conquering temptations to pride and vanity is to choose exactly what humiliates us and makes us appear little in the eyes of others.” An excerpt from the Divine Intimacy

As men, we have aspirations of greatness, which isn’t a bad thing, but those aspirations can lead us astray when they’re driven by pride. 

Our ambition should be ordered towards God. We should aspire to do great things for the greater glory of Him — that’s the key distinction. It should be God’s glory that we seek, not our own. And, in pursuing that end, we will be glorified through God. 

Think of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In Luke’s Gospel, Mary sings God’s praise to Elizabeth, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior. For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed.” Luke 1:46-48

It’s Mary’s humility, her littleness, and her surrender to God’s will that makes way for God’s glory, and because of God, she will be called blessed. 

Men don’t like to be called little. We put more stock in being the biggest, strongest, fastest, and smartest. But, the truth is, we are little. We are dependent on God for everything, even our very existence. Our pride can blind us to this truth. 

Swallowing our pride is difficult — taking the path of humiliation, admitting our own littleness. But, it’s choosing this path, following Christ in the way of the Cross, that we die to self, and ultimately are raised to new life with Him.