Yikes! I think we’ve all known someone who provided us an example of this small piece of scripture that says so much. We’ve seen leaders develop egos that lead to their downfall: pastors who engaged in sin, football players who beat their girlfriends, and actors who pass away from an overdose. Pride is a great temptation. We all want to be noticed. We all want to be great. Yet, elevating ourselves only separates us more and more from God. The one who chases fame and importance may actually find it for awhile. That’s a great danger for when we find it, the very thing we thought we wanted will destroy us.
Why do we all seem to strive for this? We want to be noticed? We want to feel important? We live in a place where inequality is one of the greatest injustices. In fact, I’m learning it might even be at the root of any issue we consider injustice. Economic inequality, gender inequality, racial inequality just to name a few. Pride is a demon that tells us we are better than those people in that neighborhood. Pride says being wealthy is better than being poor. It tells us to prefer our own skin tone. Pride is evil my friends.
“Never listen to the praise of men,” a wise man once told me. This man fell high from his throne of leadership. I think he handed me advice he was struggling with. The compliments of others can be dangerous if we put them in the wrong place.
As a follower of Jesus I know the playing field will be leveled. The crooked will be made straight. The weak will be strong. Irony will triumph and many will be shocked they aren’t first.
Forget being noticed! Let’s entertain angels as we live this life! Let’s choose humility and serve one another. Let’s live in equality! I don’t need the law of the land to live out God’s commands. Brothers and sisters, we are not great. We serve the Great One: God Himself! May our lives proclaim the greatness of God!
Jeni Martin Johnson 
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