Pride - It's whats for dinner

According to WordNet Search, the definition of "pride" is

• unreasonable and inordinate self-esteem (personified as one of the deadly
  sins);
• a feeling of self-respect and personal worth;
• satisfaction with your (or another's) achievements;
• the trait of being spurred on by a dislike of falling below your standards;

Running has allowed me a lot of time to listen to the voice(s) in my head. It provides a great time to reflect on the good, bad, and ugly decisions I have made that day or the decisions that stick around in the back of my mind that I'm sure where either strokes of genius or moments of sheer stupidity.

The other day on my run, the concept of "pride" slapped me upside the head. I couldn't figure out initially why I was having such a hard time with the concept of pride and (just as important) why I was focusing on pride as I was covered in sweat from head to toe on one of my 115 degree noon-o'clock runs. I mean, I didn't have a problem with pride - that is just stupid! Come on, look at all the good things I was doing. Okay, maybe "pride" did strike a nerve.

As I ran down Womack towards Dunwoody High School, I came across the school's sign. The sign read "Character Trait of the Month: School Pride". How appropriate was the timing?! I basically stopped dead in my tracks and stared at the sign. Maybe the "character trait" of the month should have been "School Spirit". (By the way, I never could figure out why I had to teach my students different character traits. Isn't that the role of the family, church, and community?)

As I thought more about "pride" - I was really struck at how easy it was to turn the focus on "my life" or the things that "I wanted to accomplish" (work related, church and leadership related, etc.). Somewhere along the line I forgot that I should be glorifying God in everything that I do. I forgot that it is Him that gives me the gifts and the strength to wake up and put one foot in front of the other.

"Pride" to an extreme is not exactly the right path to follow (Proverbs 16:18-19). The focus in which you live life: living in my desires or in obedience is the difference (2 Corinthians 5:12).

I need to be careful not to use "me, myself, and I" as an excuse to do something, but to remember that "I" have what I have because of what was given to me to use for Him.

Using the gifts that I have been given, I can show a small part of the amazing things that God can do in someone's life.

Maybe I was just suffering from a heat stroke?