It is never wise to overestimate your position or your abilities. Pride has a way of puffing us up to the point that we think we are invincible. Over-confidence can ruin a perfectly good day on the field of conflict or on the field of competition. Perhaps all of us have battled overconfidence at one point or another. My personal balloon, filled with the hot air of pride, was recently burst. The Buffalo Trace Golden Olympics were held recently. This is a friendly competition for senior adults over the age of 50. At the encouragement of a friend I entered the competition in a few innocuous events: golf, basketball free throws and putt-putt. Modesty prevented me from every event because I wanted everyone to have a chance at winning a gold medal. Taking note of the three events I was entered in, I didn’t see the need for much training.
In golf, I won the gold medal simply because the only other person in my age bracket hadn’t played more than once in the past year. We then moved to the basketball court for the free throw competition. I spent about five minutes getting my stroke down and in the process sized up the competition. Outside of my friend’s wife I was the youngest competitor, so I thought my chances were good – if not a clear out cinch - to win. My friend led the way by making nine out of twenty free throws. I was second. I, too, made nine. We moved on to the putt-putt course while the others completed the free-throw competition. We later learned that an older gentleman with a bad leg (he was actually walking around with a crutch!) won the event by making 14 out of 20. Adding insult to injury was the fact that an 83 year-old woman made ten out of twenty!
Still holding out hope for my final event, putt-putt, my friend and I finished tied. As he went off to play softball, I waited around with several others to await the outcome of the later matches. It was official: we were tied for the gold. That’s when his wife stepped up and offered to take his place in a one whole play-off to determine the winner of the Golden Olympics Putt-Putt event. Being a gentleman, and in a move of gamesmanship, I offered to let her putt first. To her surprise, and my dismay, she sank her putt on the first stroke. Dashed were my hopes of a second gold medal, and burst was my bubble of over-confident pride.
It is a dangerous thing to think too highly of yourself. We cannot allow the thought that we are immune to the judgment of God, either. When God spoke to the Edomites through the prophet Obadiah He said, 3The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks and make your home on the heights, you who say to yourself, 'Who can bring me down to the ground?' 4Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down," declares the LORD.
If you are a Christian today, don’t allow the thought that you have accomplished anything on your own. It is the Lord Who gives you strength to do whatever you do. So, to Him belongs the glory and praise. And remember: He will not share His glory with anyone! Remember, too, that Proverbs 16:18 says “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” Walk humbly before the Lord and He will give you a steadfast heart.
If you are not a Christian and your pride is keeping you from seeking the Lord, humble yourself now. In 1 Peter 5:6 we read, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” It will be the beginning of
A STEADFAST HOPE!
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