The Slippery Slope of ME.
We all want to be confident without being prideful (well maybe not all). And we all want to be secure and not succumb to insecurity. And yet as the illustration below shows confidence and security are slippery slopes that can quickly devolve into pride and insecurity. What to do?
There's nothing inherently wrong with being confident. Confidence is a God given virtue that the Bible speaks of in Psalm 27:3 "Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident." And yet confidence can quickly devolve into pride as we have seen in people we know (like ourselves and folks in the Bible, think Samson, Saul, even David, etc.). This is true of security. One day we are as secure as the vaults of Fort Knox and within moments we can be as insecure as a tweener with her pimples.
My son Joseph reminded me of a lesson that I had taught him when he was younger - the relationship between pride and insecurity, they are much closer than we realize, as in twin brothers (and sisters). The common denominator between the two is illustrated below - ME.
Pride happens when our confidence becomes about us. This is just as true about insecurity. We become insecure when it becomes about us, our inner knower just knows we don't have what it takes, most of the time. Pride only means that we have convinced ourselves that we are better than others in a particular thing at a particular time. This is also the way insecurity works only in reverse. And when the depth of our insecurity is something we can no longer bear then we strive to outdo others in another thing at another time that then leads us to pride - the twin brother. The common denominator is - ME.
What to do? Make it all about Jesus. When life becomes about Christ and not about us we find a level confidence and security that nothing or no one can give us or take away from us. But don't think this is a one time event, it is rather a daily event if not from moment to moment. Whenever you feel pride setting in, draw near to Jesus and give Him the credit and the glory for your success and achievement. This guarantees our confidence that comes from him. When insecurity sets in hold on to the cross of Christ the source of all security, as we do pride and insecurity melt away. With Christ as our foundation confidence and security is ours regardless of the what we face and where we are.
"...being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6
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