Pierced with Pride

Today I had the privilege of hearing Fern Nichols speak. Mrs. Nichols is the founder of Moms In Touch, a prayer organization for mothers of students, any age, any 'grade'. The purpose of Moms In Touch is to cover every school in the world with prayer one school at a time. Ideally, each and every school is covered in prayer by a small group of mothers whose children attend that school. Naturally, my Moms In Touch prayer group is for Stone Mountain Elem, Traeton's school.

One focus of her talk today was on pride, the root of every sin. Pretty hefty statement, eh?

This is what constitutes pride:
A prideful person:
-is confident in how much they know and flaunts it
-focuses on other's failures
-puts others on probation and waits for them to fall again
-can't bear to fail or have others see them less than perfect
-is a work-a-holic or a perfectionist
-drives others
-places unrealistic expectations on self and others
-tries to control people and circumstances
-independent spirit who does it all because others can't do it good enough
-doesn't think they have anything to repent
-must prove I am right
-must have the last word, 'I told you so'
-desires to be known as successful
-doesn't want their sin discovered
-wounded when others get credit or is overlooked
-elated by praise
-deflated by criticism

What constitutes a broken/humble person:
A humble person:

-admits they don't know it all
-doesn't try to have an answer for everything
-accepts limitations
-focuses on own spiritual needs
-trusts in God and waits on him to act
-gives up the right to hurt back
-dependant spirit
-admits just can't do it all
-willing to yield the right to be right
-desires to make others successful
-willing to be exposed
-seeks forgiveness
-has a continual heart of repentance
-any received praise belongs to Christ
-criticism makes them a better person
-doesn't try to justify criticism

Oh, wow, sigh... Unfortunately I carry far more of the prideful traits than the humble ones. The characteristics of a humble person are not completely foreign to me. I know this is what I strive to be, broken and humble and sometimes it is true of me. But more often I self-righteously walk around pierced with pride.

Lord, renew a right spirit within me...