One's pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor. ~Proverbs 29:23 (ESV)
Pride is a funny thing because it can sneak up on you. It can slide right in and before you know it, you are looking your nose down on others because their ways don’t meet your ‘standards.’ The homeless man on the street who reeks of urine and asks you for a few dollars for something to eat. How do you react to him? Do you shun him, curse him, ignore him, walk swiftly past him? Or do you take the time to see that he is really hungry at this moment, and, using discernment, offer to take him into the store or go into the store and buy him something? It is this discernment that helps identify that not every person who appears homeless is a scam or someone who wants to harm you. Just because they don’t look like you, doesn’t mean they’re not saved like you. If you move beyond your ego, and allow God’s Holy Spirit to activate your discernment, you will know who to give water to, who to give food to, and who to walk on by.
Perhaps in a friendship, you have matured out of the club and bar life, but they haven’t. Don’t turn your nose down to them, for you have shifted and not them, and you’re both right where you’re supposed to be. If you move beyond your ego, you can see that though you no longer enjoy that lifestyle, you can still have a meaningful friendship. Whether you have decided to work on your relationship with the Lord, or you have just had enough of that type of life, if the friendship had a true foundation, it will survive, even if a little time passes by between your conversations. We all change based on our experiences or encounters, and the paths we are on – spiritually, professionally, relationally, and financially; and it all impacts our attitudes and behaviors. Move beyond your ego to recognize that not everyone in your circle will act like you.
Pride can also prevent you from walking into your blessings. Don’t want to ask for help? Think you can do everything by yourself? Believe it or not, that is just pride, thinking no one can do it like you can. While it is true that they may not do it like you, you’re not the only one who can perform that task, fulfill the request, or handle the assignment. That’s a big realization for some, but every successful, famous, well known (whatever label you want to give them) person will tell you the same thing, they did not get to where they are on their own. They all had a team, built a team, or leveraged a team to help them accomplish their goals. That’s scripture, Moses delegated responsibility and so did Jesus, so why shouldn’t we? Move beyond your ego and don’t be afraid to share your ideas with individuals, because they can’t steal your blessings. What God has for you; it is for you! Move beyond your ego and trust others to carry out tasks, maybe not as swiftly as you, but they will get better with time.
Move beyond your ego and stop thinking everything is about you
Move beyond your ego and refuse to allow pride to break through
Move beyond your ego and prevent looking down on others regardless of the situation
Move beyond your ego and share the responsibilities to avoid needless frustration
Move beyond your ego, exhale and let go of control
Move beyond your ego, and as a team, work toward the common goal
Move beyond your ego, and walk into the greater that awaits
Move beyond your ego without burdens, baggage, and unnecessary weights