Proverbs 16:18 (KJV)
“Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.”

There are moments when we feel overwhelmed by our own emotions, frustrated that we’re even frustrated, mad that we can’t seem to shake a thought, or hurt by someone else’s words more than we’d like to admit. But if we peel back the layers, we often find a common root, Pride. 

Pride doesn’t always shout, many times it disguises itself as frustration, comparison, or self-defense. We get jealous of others, not because of what they have, but because deep down we’re afraid we don’t measure up. We argue and defend ourselves, not because the other person is wrong, but because we can’t bear to feel exposed. We judge others, not because they’re broken, but because we haven’t faced our own brokenness. 

What you resent in others is often what you refuse to confront in yourself.

The truth is, most of the time, we’re not mad at people.....we’re mad at God. 

Mad that life didn’t go the way we wanted.
Mad that He didn’t answer that prayer faster.
Mad that we still feel stuck in our habits or emotions.
But we don’t want to say we’re mad at God, so we misdirect it. We snap at our friends, get cold towards and judge our leaders/servants, or silently compete with people we should be celebrating with. 

At the heart of pride is the belief that “I can lead my life better than God or anyone else can.” 
It’s why we push people away.
It’s why we isolate and “figure it out” ourselves.
It’s why we resist correction and resent those who’ve helped us.

The truth is however that when we lead our own lives without God, we end up in shame and exhaustion. We weren’t designed to guide ourselves. The path to peace isn’t self-reliance, it's surrender.

Most of us need to stop pointing outward and start looking inward. We must be 100% honest with ourselves. You must let go of the idea that you know best. If you could lead your life better than God, you’d already be at peace. This type of honesty opens the door to healing. We must recognize that we don't argue because we're right, often times we're arguing because we're insecure. 

I hope we can all depend on God and recognize that pride has hidden itself in our reactions. I hope we can see that we cannot lead our own lives and that's the reason why God sent Jesus. Let us ask God to humble us down, surrender our lives, and receive his peace. Amen!