When Our Pride Prevents Our Purpose (guest post)

  
Laura is the visionary and dreamer behind Seasoned with Salt, a community of creatives glorifying Jesus. She’s lively, upbeat, and thrives on naps and coffee. She currently lives on Maui and feels most at home when she’s near the ocean with her husband Jason and their wolf, Mowgli. On a typical day, you’ll find Laura laughing hard, worshipping loud and hard in the car, and always dreaming, thinking, or writing. Her restless soul aches to live on purpose, chase Jesus, and bring Him all the glory. She hopes to reach believers and non-believers alike with the beautiful truth that #graceneverrunsout.

 Instagram link: https://www.instagram.com/seasonedwithsaltblog/

 Website link: http://seasonedwithsaltblog.com/

I won’t keep you waiting, be encouraged and read: 
         When Our Pride Prevents Our Purpose

“You aren’t good at anything.” “You’re not athletic enough.”                        “She’s a better writer than you.”                “You’re never going to be successful.”      “You’re not as pretty as her.”

 Those quiet whispers breathe breath into the lies that have haunted me since childhood. The lies that fuel jealousy, comparison, and self-loathing. The ugly lies that bring out our flawed, sinful hearts that we so fiercely desire to beat wildly for Jesus through and through, 24/7, for all the days of our lives.

 But the lies still grip us. And paralyze us. And tell us we aren’t enough.

 It’s comparison and envy at its worst, because you’re comparing your character, your talents, and your God-given gifts to others – not just envying a certain lifestyle or circumstance.

 And at the crux of it all is pride. Pride rears its ugly head when we want to be the best, when we lust after success, when we long to be good at something. It’s constantly turning the lens back onto ourselves, and whether it be our achievements or our disappointments, it’s still not the glory of God.

 Pride is sneaky. It creeps in where you don’t expect it, where good intentions begin and encouragement is genuine. But why in the midst of others’ joy and talents do we feel the need to tear ourselves down? How can we be better stewards of support, friendship, and encouragement without letting pride grip our hearts and our minds? Competitive coveting and comparison are ways the devil would love to destroy relationships. He would love for us to stay hidden in our self-doubt and low self-esteem.

 I used to long to look different. I wanted blonde hair and blue eyes. I wanted to be tanner, taller and leaner. I had a certain image of beauty in my mind, and I wasn’t it. I wanted to be good at sports. I wanted to be better at dancing. I wanted to be a better singer. I spent a lot of my middle school through college days longing to be better than I was, or something that I wasn’t.

 I believe this is partially why I battled an eating disorder halfway through college. I found myself in the middle of the party scene with an empty hollowness inside that was created by my foolish desire to look a certain way. I figured if I wasn’t the best at something, I wanted to look the best. I was at an all-time low. And I didn’t wind up at church because I realized I needed Jesus. I wound up at church because the party scene was putting a wrench in my diet plan, and I figured church would be a good place to meet people who didn’t want to drink every weekend.

 But Jesus still captured my heart.

 I’ll never forget the literal mountaintop I was sitting on when I realized my issue was much bigger than striving to be something I wasn’t.

 The issue was this: not seeing myself through God’s eyes, not seeing my life from his perspective, not allowing His plan for my life to unfold. Because I was too busy trying to be the best. And when I came down from that mountain, I broke up with my current boyfriend. I began telling my Bible study and closest family members about my struggle with my eating disorder. And I cried out to Jesus for help.

 Since coming down from that mountaintop four years ago, I realized a few things.

 We need to recognize that others’ accomplishments don’t diminish ours. Others’ talents don’t take away the talents God has given us. We can admire traits in other people as their God-given uniqueness without despising ourselves. The main point is that God loves us all equally.

 The MAIN main point is that we aren’t the main point. He is. Jesus is it. And until we come to him, we will always be exhausting ourselves striving to be something we’re not.

 Pride not only wreaks havoc on our hearts, it prevents us from living out our mission God calls us to on earth. If we aren’t the main point, we need to put our pride aside and seek our callings in Jesus.

 C.S. Lewis said,

 “Pride is spiritual cancer: it eats up the very possibility of love, or contentment, or even common sense.”

 Out spirits will never be content until we rid ourselves of pride: of jealousy, envy, comparison, and coveting. And what’s the opposite of pride? Humility.

 When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. Proverbs 11:2

 What is it that you need to humbly lay aside today? I encourage you to surrender your pride and prayerfully seek what it is that’s stopping you from living out your purpose. Ask for humility and for eyes to see where your pride creeps in and steals your joy. It’s not going to be easy, and it may not happen immediately. But the first step in obedience will prompt another, and then another, and soon, He will be guiding you on your journey to contentment, purpose, and humility.